The late John Vickery, for decades Australia's undisputed king of riesling, will probably be remembered for two things above all else.
First, he introduced Stelvin caps to his wines, phasing out often unreliable corks that had ruined many a much-anticipated tasting of carefully cellared wine.
Second, he had a long-standing commitment to aged riesling, at a time when commercial pressure usually meant they needed to be on the shelves as youngsters and earning their keep.
Three years after his passing, the Vickery label honours his memory with an annual release of rieslings, which invariably includes a couple of aged wines.
The pack I received recently included two 2025 rieslings, from Eden Valley and Watervale, and two older Reserve wines from 2022, again from Eden and Watervale. The final wine was a new addition to the range, a 2024 Polish Hill River Riesling.
Keeda Zilm is Vickery's chief winemaker these days and, as you'd expect, an unabashed riesling fan.
"John believed riesling needed time in bottle to settle before being enjoyed at its best," she said.
"Five, 10, even 15 years were discussed for the late release of the Reserves. No amount of time was too long.
"He also believed riesling was the best variety on which to test Stelvin because you can see the outcomes early but also the benefits of delayed maturation. The chance to age the wines with confidence meant his unique winemaking methods could be celebrated for many years to come which is what we're trying to do here."
Those methods included extra hang time for added ripeness, cool controlled ferments and clever use of all the pressings, blending them back into the wine for additional texture.
"We've followed that mantra. Ideally we don't want you to be able to pick where the winemaker has changed," Keeda said. "If you line Vickery wines up, there's great consistency ... their DNA has remained the same."
Withholding the Reserve wines for three years is no coincidence. That's the time it takes for those secondary ageing characteristics that Vickery admired so much - richer, toasty, more honeyed - to start to show.
"It means you can enjoy each iteration of our Reserves as they age through the years," she added.
The wines are made in limited amounts, just 120 dozen of each.
The 2022 vintage for the two Reserve wines is considered excellent in both Watervale and Eden Valley.
The reserve wines are $39, the current vintage rieslings $24, and the Polish Hill River is $28. Available at Vickerywines.com.au
Vickery Watervale Reserve Riesling 2022
$45
A single-vineyard wine from a superb Clare Valley vintage. Real ageing potential here. Citrus, orange blossom and gently toasted nose, lime and lemon flavours early, moving into those more concentrated developed notes mid-palate. Still very youthful, and only just hinting at what's to come. Spice comes through late, finishing with super fine, zippy acid. Seriously tasty.
Moppity Lock and Key Sangiovese 2024
$30
From the Hilltops region, this is an easy-drinker and very light on its feet. A lively, aromatic nose of orchard berries leads to a savoury palate, mostly red-fruited with sour cherries, red plum and tomato leaf. There's distinct spiciness here too, coupled with bright, zesty acidity. So easy to drink on its own, but it's a food wine too . . . veal, pizza, pasta would all work well.
Burton McMahon Syme Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024
$60
This single-vineyard wine from the Upper Yarra is a collaboration between Hunter winemaker Matt Burton and his friend, Dylan McMahon, from Seville Estate. A darker-fruited pinot - and a good one at that - with brooding, foresty flavours of dark cherry, plum, cinnamon, herbs and mushroom, all building in the glass. Silky and balanced . . . classy, a big tick from me.
However you look at it, the last 12 months has been ridiculously successful for Hunter Valley juggernaut Brokenwood.
But all of that would pale if last Saturday's much-anticipated release of their flagship Graveyard shiraz - with its $500 price tag - failed to live up to expectations.
No need to worry ... the annual Graveyard launch, in front of a packed room of 350 guests, ticked off the final box in a dazzling 12 months, with the 2024 vintage another outstanding wine.
But let's set the scene. Brokenwood's stellar 12 months included:
So, the '24 Graveyard?
Drumroll please ... Toni Paterson MW, one of the highly credentialed panel of Halliday judges, rated it at 99 points. That's two 99-point Graveyards in a row. She wrote: "The palate is refined and exquisite, yet bright and lithe with remarkable presence and momentum."
Little wonder winemaker Stuart Hordern described it as "an unbelievable year".
"I think the highlights were the Winery of the Year award - that's national, against everybody in the country - and also the RAS award. That award is not just the team in the winery but our whole group, marketing, cellar door, viticulturists, the lot," Hordern said.
And the two vintages?
"Very different - '23 was a long, slow ripening season, where the Graveyard vineyard's quality shows through. The '24 season was more challenging, and in the end everything came together really quickly. Very happy with the wine though. Not as big as '23."
For me, while there's no denying the quality of 2024 Graveyard, I have it behind the '23, which is one of the finest Hunter wines I've tasted. Say, 99 points to 96, nudging 97. But again, that's a personal thing.
All in all, the only NSW red to hold the highest level of Langton's Classification (1st Classified) continues to shine. And if you're after a white, the 2017 Oakey Creek Semillon ($80) is in a real sweet spot, but with years ahead of it.
Cook's Lot Allotment 333 Riesling 2025
$25
There's some serious bang for your buck with this riesling from Orange. Very pale in the glass, it has a nose of citrus, jasmine and mandarin peel. Lemon and lime flavours, fresh and zesty, a hint of mandarin again, spicy, and then juicy acidity. This could cellar for eight to 10 years and take on great complexity, but it's so appealing as a youngster.
Jardin d'Aromes Rose 2024
$23
From the Languedoc region in sunny southern France, this is a budget-friendly blend of grenache, cinsault, syrah and mourvedre in a seriously sexy bottle - one you might want to keep long after the wine has gone. Dry, with a floral Pot Pourri nose, berry flavours of raspberry and strawberry, with musk and rose petals. Herbs and spice too. A good value, easy drinker.
$80
From Eden Valley, this is a brooding sort of wine, built for the long haul. Deep purple with red trim, it has lashings of dark fruit - blackberry, dark plum, cocoa, bitter chocolate, licorice too. Dense and concentrated, but so downright drinkable. Tannins are ripe and fine grained, the finish long and balanced. This is quality all right, and you can cellar with confidence.
