Rieslingfreak
— Portfolio —
No.9 CLARE VALLEY SEKT RIESLING 2019
Bottle Shot
The fruit for Rieslingfreak No.9 Sekt Clare Valley Riesling comes from the family property, situated in the Clare Valley, in the sub region of White Hutt. The grapes for No.9 were selected from the coolest part of the vineyard; providing grapes with high natural acidity, lifted perfume and delicate fruit flavors. After primary fermentation, the wine was stabilized and prepared for secondary fermentation in bottle, also known as “Tirage”. The wine was Tiraged in June 2019, completing secondary fermentation (the process that adds the *sparkle* to sparkling wine) by September 2019.
After completing secondary fermentation, the wine spent three years in bottle on yeast lees. During this time, the autolysis of the yeast contributed sweet toasty aromas and flavours and a creamy mouthfeel; softening the apparent acidity and enriching the palate. Disgorged in June 2022, this wine captures the essence of great Riesling fruit, bursting with citrus and white peach; perfectly complemented by the subtle yeasty undertones of autolysis as notes of floral honey and toasted brioche. The wine has only 2.25g/L residual sugar, making it extremely dry for an Australian sparkling, but the sweet fruit flavors and creamy mouthfeel ensure a decadently rich palate. These deceptively lush fruit flavours coupled with driving natural acidity is the quintessential expression of ultra-premium Clare Riesling; and combining this with the inherent complexity of a Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wine makes for a very special sparkling experience indeed!
No.3 CLARE VALLEY RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
Sourced exclusively from White Hut the family vineyard in the Clare Valley, owned by Richard and Anne Hughes. The majority of the 5 sites has deep red clay, over limestone, providing a fruit driven style of Riesling.
These heavy red clay soils contribute to the fruit intensity of this wine, with its classic notes of lemon and lime.
“Such a beautiful, concentrated yet composed wine from John’s mum and dad’s vineyard at White Hutt, 5.8km north of the Clare township. So perfumed and essential, with crunchy lime, green apple and grapefruit alongside high tones of wildflowers, Christmas lily, jasmine, talc, mineral salts, peach skin and stone. Concentrated yet super-tight on the palate with a tubular core of focused lime and citrus fruits, a beautifully fine structure and a tangy, energetic line with velocity to burn. A superb, pristine wine.” – 97 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
No.4 EDEN VALLEY RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
Fruit for the Eden Valley Riesling is sourced from four vineyards located across the Southern Ranges of Eden Valley. Two vineyards are located in Flaxman Valley in High Eden, a premium sub-region of Eden Valley. The first vineyard, owned by Michael Mason, is planted on shallow grey sandy loam over shale rock. The second vineyard is owned by Ben Zander, planted in loam soil over light medium clay, with high quartz rock and gravel content. The third vineyard belonging to Mark Bartholomaeus, is in the heart of the Eden Valley township, with 65 year old vines, producing wines with intense flavour and exceptional natural acidity.
Vegan friendly, with the delicacy and refinement that are the hallmarks of Eden Valley.
“Sourced from Rieslingfreak growers in the Eden Valley, predominately the High Eden; John recalls there were lots of smaller bunches in the ’24 season. Tight and high-toned, as all Eden Valley riesling should be, with Bickford’s lime cordial and Tahitian limes at its base. Hints of orange blossom, crushed quartz, lemongrass and stone with a light, balanced sheen of phenolics and a febrile sense of urgency as it careens across the palate, finishing fine and long.” – 95 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
“John Hughes makes a bunch of different wines. He just makes them all from the one variety. Stating his intentions from the get-go and confessing his obsession on the label, his wines speak volumes about the versatility of riesling. This is his paean to the classic dry Eden Valley style, a scintillating stiletto of a wine, a rush of limes, jasmine and crushed rocks.” – 94 pts – Nick Ryan (The Australian) Top 100 wines 2024
No.2 POLISH HILL RIVER RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
The Polish Hill River vineyard, owned by Robert and Lyn Jaeschke is south-east of the Clare township, in the heart of the Polish Hill River. Planted on grey loam over sandy limestone and shale rock, these vines produce tight Rieslings.
No.2 is a dry style, showcasing many of the refinements typical of the Polish Hill River. The limestone and shale rock soil profile are reflected in the wine with mineral and slate notes.
“Polish River-sourced fruit from two picks spaced 10 days apart. Water-white with a flash of green and fruit aromas of freshly squeezed lime juice, makrut lime and lemongrass. Hints of citrus blossom, crushed stone, celery salt, Christmas lily, green-apple sorbet and liminal notes of clover and honeysuckle. Such a sleek, tightly bound package, with a steely focus, porcelain acidity and a pitch-perfect tubular palate shape. It’s lovely saline and sapid drinking now, but this will age beautifully.” – 98 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
No.10 ZENITH ‘PINNACLE’ RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
Zenit is a German name, meaning pinnacle. This wine was born when Belinda and John searched for the best wine they could blend from the hallmark 2017 vintage for their own wedding.
Made only in selected years, from a blend of Clare and Eden vineyards that are the best representation of the vintage.
“What’s not to love about a blend of two of Australia’s finest riesling regions? This year, 65% Flaxman Valley in the Eden Valley and 35% White Hutt old vines from the Hughes family vineyard in the Clare Valley. A beautifully perfumed and potent-smelling wine with achingly pure characters of freshly squeezed lime, Bickford’s cordial, Christmas lily, frangipani, orange blossom, bath talc, crushed stone, grapefruit and green-apple sorbet. Headspinningly pure and sleek along its length, it’s a high-tensile ride that is at once nervy yet powerful, everything just purring like a finely-tuned engine. Man, it’s a lovely wine.” – 98 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
No.12 FLAXMAN VALLEY RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
Rieslingfreak No.12 is harvested from individually selected vines from the Zander and Bartholomaeus family vineyards in Flaxman Valley in High Eden, a premium sub-region of Eden Valley. Renown for growing world-class Riesling of unrivalled elegance, this wine captures the very essence of the High Eden subregion in all its splendour. First released in 2021 to celebrate John’s achievement as being heralded as Barossa’s Winemaker of the Year, this wine celebrates the beauty of High Eden Riesling via a distinctive and highly perfumed bouquet, and elegantly structured palate.
“What’s not to love about a blend of two of Australia’s finest riesling regions? This year, 65% Flaxman Valley in the Eden Valley and 35% White Hutt old vines from the Hughes family vineyard in the Clare Valley. A beautifully perfumed and potent-smelling wine with achingly pure characters of freshly squeezed lime, Bickford’s cordial, Christmas lily, frangipani, orange blossom, bath talc, crushed stone, grapefruit and green-apple sorbet. Headspinningly pure and sleek along its length, it’s a high-tensile ride that is at once nervy yet powerful, everything just purring like a finely-tuned engine. Man, it’s a lovely wine.” – 98 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
No.6 CLARE VALLEY AGED RELEASE RIESLING 2017
Bottle Shot
The No.6 is harvested from the family vineyard, situated in White Hutt, Clare Valley. The grapes are grown on a small area of grey clay over limestone adjacent to a creek, with the vines planted in an east/west direction. The unique microclimate and soil type of this particular patch of grapes imparts a delicacy of flavour and elegant structure to the wine that is perfectly suited to long-term cellaring. Remarkably vibrant and still imbued with the zest of youth, this wine is refined and mineraldriven with a purity and linearity not often seen, even among the very best Clare Rieslings.
No.1 GROUNDS OF GRANDEUR RIESLING 2020
Bottle Shot
The 2020 Rieslingfreak No.1 is the second release of this icon Riesling. Rieslingfreak No.1 Grounds of Grandeur Riesling pays respect to the individual vineyard, the grower, and the grapes by showcasing the best of the vintage. Situated 5km South-East of the Clare township, Rob and Lyn Jaeschke’s Polish Hill River vineyard is on grey-brown loam over sandy limestone and shale rock. The Riesling vines are approximately 14 years old, planted on 38-year-old root stock.
Hand-picked on the 20th February 2020, the grapes were placed in cold storage for 48 hours, ensuring they were nice and cool prior to whole bunch pressing the following day. The juice was pressed lightly to a stainless-steel tank, taking only the most pristine free run juice at 420L/T. The juice was settled for 5 days prior to racking into barrel, then allowed to slowly warm naturally prior to wild fermentation with 100% indigenous yeast to complete dryness. The wine stayed on lees for 10 months prior to racking in November 2020, then matured quietly in barrel for a further 12 months until late November 2021 when it was prepared for bottling.
No.5 CLARE VALLEY OFF DRY RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
Sourced from the family vineyards at White Hut, No.5 is harvested from a site that has shale grey soils over limestone, giving a lighter style wine. Fermentation is stopped early, to preserve a fruit driven hint of sweetness.
“I’m a sucker for a good off-dry riesling (here, it’s 13g/L RS), and this certainly ticks a lot of boxes for me. The palest of straw and green flashes in the glass with fruit tones of lime, green apple, white peach and crunchy nectarine. Hints of citrus blossom, riverstone, wildflowers, starfruit and apple sorbet. There’s a real tension to this wine, a pressure-like interplay between RS and acidity that releases with a long, purely fruited draw on the finish, seeming drier than you’d expect as the acidity tempers that gentle sweetness beautifully. Bravo.” – 96 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
No.8 SCHATZKAMMER POLISH HILL RIVER RIESLING 2024
Bottle Shot
Schatzkammer, translated from German means a type of Cabinet, a tip of the hat from John to the styles of wine (Kabinett) from the Mosel that first inspired him to pursue making only expressions of Riesling. Residual sugar for this vintage is 53 grams per litre.
“An unctuous Polish Hill River-born riesling from the Jaeschke family vineyard that sports 32 g/L of RS in an Aussie Kabinett style. Super pale with a green flash and pure and expressive fruit tones of lime, grapefruit, custard apple, feijoa and pomelo with underlying hints of orange blossom, frangipani, riverstone and some vaguely earthy mycelial undertones. It’s an enchantingly pure wine, its finely honed tension making it appear drier than you’d expect, with a fine, minerally cadence, an ache of umami and a drawn-out lime sorbet finish. Superb drinking.” – 96 Points Dave Brookes, Wine Companion & Special Value Star
No.7 FORTIFIED RIESLING NV
Bottle Shot
Harvested at the same time as Rieslingfreak No.3. The juice is partially fermented to 7-8 baume (approx. 140g/L sugar) then fortified with a neutral brandy spirit. Stored in old oak casks to develop for 2 to 4 years. The wine looks similar to a white port, whilst still retaining the Riesling aromatics and flavours.