Awards, Ratings & Reviews
GOLD — Royal Queensland Wine Awards · 2025 (Class 9 — Riesling 2023 & Older)
96/100 — Wine Pilot · 2018 Vintage (Tasted: 22 Sep 2025)
“Ah, the wonders of Eden Valley Riesling as it just starts to enter its secondary phase. This one is beginning to show some toasty character, which you might expect with a wine that is seven years old, but it is hardly going to flip in the short term and it retains a youthful, vibrant edge highlighted by that strong mineral and lemony character that you might expect with a little bit of Eden Valley bath salts and dry talciness. Already a high degree of richness, but it’s held tight with control. Outstanding.”
94/100 — The Real Review · 2018 Vintage (Tasted: 10 Oct 2025)
“Bright medium yellow colour, youthful for its age, the bouquet showing paraffin wax, dried lemon peel, straw and singed toast. The palate is delicate, refined, subtle and dry with a seamless flow into a bone-dry finish. Lip-smacking, appetising finish that cries out for food. It could cope with roast chicken.”
About This Wine
Pewsey Vale Vineyard The Contours Riesling is crafted from old vines grown on the coolest slope within this ruggedly beautiful single vineyard. Bottle ageing for seven years before release transforms this Riesling into a complex wine, with more richness and complexity developing over future decades.
A wet winter set the vines up well for the growing season. Drier than average spring conditions meant the vines responded quickly and set a good number of bunches. Summer was dry with warm days and cool nights which ripened the grapes and maintained freshness and natural acidity. The long, balmy summer helped finish ripening these perfectly balanced and flavoured grapes.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw in colour with green hues. Intense classic lemon fruit aromas with a hint of white flowers. Bottle aged characters of toast, honey and lemongrass have started to emerge and combine with the fresh citrus and white flowers of its youth. The palate has great length and depth with concentrated power, pristine fresh lime juice overlaid with toast, sage oil and lime marmalade, finishing with soft, refreshing natural acidity.
Enjoy with duck breast and five spice glaze or tofu pad Thai with fresh lime wedges.
Specifications
- Vintage: 2018
- Grape Variety: Riesling
- Region: Eden Valley / South Australia / Australia
- Vineyard / Geo info: Coolest slope within a single vineyard; southerly slope
- Vineyard Soil Type: Shallow sandy with quartz and schist gravels
- Harvest: Harvested 11 March 2018
- Fermentation Vessel: Stainless steel tank
- Fermentation: Wild ferment
- Maturation: Bottle ageing for seven years before release
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- Residual Sugar: 2.0 g/L
- Production Attributes: Old Vine
- Winemaker: Louisa Rose
