Hughes makes will live for decades inthecellar.Yes,
they are delicious when young, but theyarealsobuilt
for the long haul, as was demonstratedat a recent
tasting at the cellar door of every Rieslingfreakwine
produced since 2009. Wines such asthe 2011 No. 3
dry riesling and the 2013 No. 8 tastedfreakishlyfresh
and youthful, only now just beginningtopickupa
hint of golden colour and complex secondaryspice.
At the cellar-door tasting, Hughesalsopoured
his new, top riesling, called No. 1. Hestartedthis
project in 2015, when he visited a cooperinFrance
and commissioned a special 1500-litrebarrelcalled
a foudre specifically to ferment and ageriesling.Then
the cool, late 2017 vintage came along,whichHughes
describes as “the best riesling vintageI’veexperienced”.
That year, Hughes hand-picked grapesfromthebest
four rows of his parents’ vineyard intheClareValley,
chilled the fruit for two days, then whole-bunch-pressed
the juice and settled it before puttingit intohisfancy
barrel, where he let it ferment spontaneously.Thewine
spent 20 months maturing in the barrelbeforebottling.
It’s quite unlike any of his other wines– richer,
more textural, more savoury; it will befascinatingto
see how this matures in the bottle – andstandsapart
from almost every other riesling evermadeinthis
country, not least because of the $100pricetag.
(Coincidentally, Clare Valley producerJimBarryis
this year launching a special foudre-fermentedriesling- for $120 a bottle.) Then again, standingapartfrom
the crowd is just what you’d expect fromthedriven,
single-minded John Hughes. ●
Top drops of the month
2019 Penfolds
Bin 51 Riesling,
Eden Valley, $40
Yes, I know Penfolds is
famous for its classic
Aussie reds, but out of all
its new-release wines,
this is the one I want to
guzzle most: essence of
tongue-tingling lime.
penfolds.comOTGNEU- TI
NGLER2017 SpringsRoad
ShirazCabernet,
KangarooIsland,$35
OneofMcLarenVale’s
bestproducers,theteam
fromBattleofBosworth
hasalsoboughta KI
vineyard,andis producing
lovelywinessuchasthis
bold,fruityandfirmred.
springsroad.com.auLSINA(^) D
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Maeloc Natural Sidra,
Galicia, $9
Dry, still, slightly cloudy,
rustic-styled cider like
this is what you drink in
northern Spain’s taverns,
perfect for pairing with
rich dishes of salt cod and
grilled meats. Pour from
a height so that it froths.
alimentaria.com.au
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2014 Henskens Rankin
Triple Wild Blanc de
Blancs, Tasmania, $110
A deliciously unusual
debut on the sparkling
scene: wild ferment
in barrel and bottle,
gorgeous yeasty lees
richness and mouth-
watering lemon tang.
henskensrankin.com
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2016 LouY Es-Tu?
ViellesVignes,
BeaujolaisVillages,$50
ThewinesofLouY Es-Tu
wereanexcitingfindat
a tastingofmorethan
50 Beaujolaisproducers;
super-livelywithenticing
Campari-likeperfume
andcrunchyredfruit.
larkinimports.com.au
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GOURMET TRAVELLER 45
Drinks