Wild Duck Creek Mallard Riesling 2022

Stuart McCloskey “Commonly, I find too many Aussie Riesling’s of the same ilk. Fashionably linear and often painful to enjoy in their youth. Hallelujah to a winemaker who doesn’t give a toss about fashion or critics. Here we have a winemaker who stays true to himself… The bouquet is a delight and fills the glass with heady aromatics of lavender, mandarin peel, jasmine, quince, confit citrus peel, smoked lemon and pear. Mineral tones are lifted with time in the glass. The palate feel is dry, generous and envelopes with buttered citrus, waves of spiced orchard fruits and a lovely lick of sea salt. The length is astonishing. Minerality and salty citrus notes resonate. Taut and slender, this is not. Instead, we have a generous, moreish and supremely balanced beauty… Liam suggests cellaring over the next 10-20 years. I would love to see this after a decade in the bottle. Today, this is merely brilliant. Served using Zalto Universal glassware.”

Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "A bit of an ace in the hole is the white wine program at Wild Duck Creek. Liam Anderson of course had to twist David Anderson’s arms a few times to slip some white grapes into the winery, I imagine. Anyway, this riesling is barrel fermented and also sees stainless steel. This comes from two Wild Duck Creek vineyards. The label has been given a tweak from the one displayed too.

Delicious riesling, has this mellow feel to it, textural and soft, a savoury vein and yet cool, briny acidity keeping things fresh. It’s not marching to the beat of ‘classic Aus riesling’ tropes, far away, it’s clad in baked apple, nectarine, preserved lemon, ginger, oatmeal and light alpine herbs. It’s very detailed and very good with a curious, almost nourishing feel to the wine. Of course it’s persistent in its flavours, has enough tension to speak of cellaring time yielding good things. Fantastic outre expression."