Beautifully expressive aromas of orange blossom and marmalade, with a ripe citrus undertone and a hint of kerosene and mushroom. The palate bursts with ginger, treacle and a lovely, complex floral character, with the sweetness lifted by a rich vein of zippy acidity. Superb! (11.5%)
Not available in the UK or USA
IN A STRONG final flight that offered great value for money, the sheer flamboyance, power and complexity of this Adelaide Hills sweetie edged out a cosmopolitan trio of wines from southwest France, cool-climate South Africa and Tuscany.
Brothers Mark and Peter Saturno, founders and owners of Longview, planted Riesling vines in 1997 on the estate’s ‘most unforgiving’ soils, composed mostly of ironstone over a compacted clay layer. This sloping vineyard is very low-yielding and, typically, most of it is devoted to the production of dry table wine.
But when the year warrants it – generally when the vineyard experiences dry and cool conditions – the Saturnos leave some of the fruit to hang on the vine until late May, allowing the sugars to slowly accumulate in the berries without forfeiting the grapes’ natural acidity. The result is this Epitome Late Harvest Riesling.
The Saturnos say they have been surrounded by wine since birth, growing up in the family’s wine store, restaurant and hotel business. Work took them both to New York for a spell, but they returned to Australia to establish Longview on a former dairy farm near Macclesfield in 1995.
Their first plantings included Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Nebbiolo, but the brothers have not hesitated to make changes, by grafting or pulling up underperforming varieties to make way for more suitable grapes, such as Barbera and Grüner Veltliner.
This low-yielding, sloping vineyard has Longview’s ‘most unforgiving’ soils, perfect for Riesling
