There was a time when I felt that the words dry and wit made an acceptable pairing but dry and Riesling did not.
In those far-off days some dry rieslings could be so shrill and hard that popping a cork or screwcap became an exercise in vinous masochism.
How times have changed.
Winemakers now seem much more adept at hitting that balance point between fruit intensity and acidity which can make dry riesling both an alfresco option and an excellent addition at the dinner table.
Today's tasting proved to be an excellent one with my regular panellists Ricky Collins, Alastair McLaren and I finding much to enjoy in this high quality selection.
As always, the wines were served blind and in random order.
2014 Framingham
F Series
Old Vine Riesling
Price: $40-$44
Excellent
Ripe fruit nose with white flowers, jasmine and a touch of honey.
A whiff of botrytis and funk adds interest.
Very fine in the mouth; minerally, with a note of orange or mandarin.
Nice texture and structure with great length.
Lemon and then grapefruit comes with aeration, with the finish tightening up a little.
2014 Mt Difficulty
Bannockburn Dry Riesling
Price: $27
Rating: Very good
Delicate nose offering floral hints, mineral notes and then apples.
Bracing acidity with grapefruit.
Really zingy palate here: fresh, crisp with a touch of chalkiness on the finish. Moving to lemon.
Quite dry but a lovely flow through the mouth.
Later, the bracing acidity became very pronounced which somewhat detracted.
2010 Peregrine
Riesling
Price: $25
Rating: Excellent
Ripe fruit with banana/banana skin at first then a whisper of petrol and gunflint.
Textural entry with a broader mouthfeel and a touch of firmness at first with some lemony notes.
This really opened up nicely with apricot kernel, orange pith and honeyed characters.
It became delightfully complex and full of interest.
2013 Hawkshead
Riesling
Price: $23-$25
Rating: Excellent
A hint of bubblegum, then honeycomb and beeswax.
Delicate, yet with lots of interest.
Apple coming to the fore on the nose with cooked apple on the palate.
Quite rounded with soft, well-integrated acidity.
Nice mouthfeel showing fruit sweetness within a dry framework.
Nice balance and a fresh finish. This also opened up beautifully.
2013 Carrick
Dry Riesling
Price: $24-$26
Rating: Very good
Appley notes with a whisper of kerosene.
Quite creamy palate on first taste, becoming crisper, the interplay between fruit sweetness and zesty acidity giving a sweet and sour note.
Crisp, clean and linear with a touch of chalkiness on the finish.
Not the most complex, but very appealing.
2014 Villa Maria
Cellar Selection
Marlborough Dry Riesling
Price: $18
Rating: Good
Quite ripe nose with apples edging into citrus.
Something here that gets the nose twitching?
Textural entry with the dryness rushing in.
A touch of lanolin and then stonefruit kernel with crisp lemony acidity rounding things up on the close.
Bubblegum with aeration and a hint of a sour edge on the finish.
2014 Pegasus Bay
Bel Canto Dry Riesling
Price: $33
Rating: Excellent
Distinctively different in its quite funky nose with notes of freshly baked bread, orange and musk.
Apples and stewed apples raise their heads, with almost a brambly note.
icely integrated acidity and a little warmth on the long and fine finish.
Fascinatingly complex and different: a challenging style but rewarding.
