Mayfield Vineyard Estate Range'Backyard' Riesling

"Vigneron Charles Simons has upped his game with the Sauvignon Blanc and this Riesling in 2023. Passionate about his work, his vision for the vineyard is exciting. This Riesling is made in the German style he tells me. It's smart gear. Handpicked, Simons has made a conscious effort to build texture into the wine. The 2022 release had 5 grams of residual sugar but he upped it to 12.5g/L with this release and I feel the wine is better balanced. There is still some good acid that keeps everything in check. Green apples drive the fruit profile with attractive scents of peach blossom and jasmine flowers. Arm yourself with this for some Thai or Malaysian take away."

"Lime skin, green apple and lemon cordial. A wine that opens up with a good swirl, you'll be rewarded with freesia and nashi pear. Fruit sweetness is carried by high acidity and the wine is moreish and juicy. A chalky, pithy dry finish."

Very light straw colour; savoury aromas of dried herbs and flowers, somewhat reserved aromatically, the palate is off-dry and light-bodied, the fruit of only moderate intensity... a very attractive young riesling probably for relatively early drinking.

What a lovely thing it is to have Riesling growing in your backyard – especially when it’s long been recognised as one of the finest sites in the Orange region. Pale straw with tinges of green. A vivacious nose – intense – dried white flowers and finger limes – that tease of orange citrus (mandarin skins) that is increasingly synonymous with this variety in Orange. Before sipping, the nose impels an off-dry, Germanic sensibility. It’s luscious and rounded – lovely dose of mid-palate sweetness – lychee and musk – it flows to a soft, tangy finish. That cool climate acidity cannot be denied. So accessible for its age – built to enjoy in its infancy.

This exuberant Riesling delivers an upfront punch of floral & citrussy high notes. Juicy acid zing and musky minerality underpin a fruit-driven framework in the green apple/pear range. The relatively high residual sugar component delivers a sweet and astringent, tutti-fruity Germanic palate complexity that entices to yet another sip. Currently youthfully fulsome, it might benefit from some bottle sleep to enhance integration of its abundant varietal attribute.