2022 Crawford River Riesling 750ml

Overview

The 2022 Crawford River Riesling is an acclaimed cool-climate Australian white wine from Crawford River Wines in Henty, Victoria. Produced from the estate's original Riesling vines planted in the 1970s, this 750ml release combines fragrant citrus, white nectarine, green apple and delicate florals with chalky minerality and a beautifully textured palate. Awarded 96 points by The Wine Front and The Real Review, this elegant Victorian Riesling offers remarkable freshness, concentration and ageing potential through 2040.

Critic Reviews

96/100 — Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
“It's fragrant, flavoursome and very refreshing. Extension of flavour is significant too.”
Tasted February 2023

96/100 — Stuart Knox, The Real Review
“Carries very long and lingers with a remarkable seamlessness for such a youthful wine.”

Producer Tasting Notes

Crawford River Wines — 2022 Vintage

Aroma
It leads with crushed rock & chalky minerality. Following on the nose is citrus, fruit and florals. Layers of kafir lime, white nectarine & apple blossom.

Palate
The palate is textured and complex with the minerality continuing on the palate which is a hallmark of this site. The fruit is layered and intense with nashi pear, white nectarine and grapefruit with soft acidity lending incredible length to finish.

Vintage & Winemaking

The 2021/22 growing season began with heavy rainfall, fluctuating temperatures and strong winds. Conditions became relatively dry from late November, followed by a warm December and a mild finish to the season, allowing even ripening and excellent flavour development.

The fruit was carefully hand-harvested, with a large proportion whole-bunch pressed alongside some crushed fruit. Following natural settling, spontaneous fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts. The wine spent approximately five weeks on lees before racking, sulphur addition and blending. It was cold stabilised, not fined and bottled in September 2022.

Vineyard

The wine is sourced from Crawford River's original Riesling plantings in Henty, southwestern Victoria. The first blocks were established in 1975–1976 on neighbouring north-northwest-facing ridges with gravelly, ironstone-rich, free-draining clay loam soils.

A further block planted in 1977 features sandier loam and closer proximity to limestone. The combination of these soil profiles contributes to the wine's delicate floral aromatics, mineral intensity and distinctive texture. All Riesling vines are clone G198.

About the Producer

Established in 1975 by John and Catherine Thomson, Crawford River Wines is a family-owned estate in the Henty wine region of southwestern Victoria. The vineyard's cool maritime climate and complex mineral-rich soils have established its reputation for producing precise, age-worthy Riesling.

Belinda Thomson took over as Chief Winemaker and Viticulturist in 2014, continuing the family's commitment to estate-grown fruit, careful vineyard management and wines that reflect their distinctive regional character.

Specifications