Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Riesling 2023

Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Riesling 2023

100% single-vineyard Riesling. Alcohol 12.5%; total acid 7.4g/L; pH 3.11

The modern-day standard bearer for all Clare Valley Riesling, Wolta Wolta, is a dry German-style Riesling, an “Aussie GG” if you will. Its name, meaning ‘Good Water’ in the Aboriginal language, was the original name given to the land on which the Barry’s famous The Lodge Vineyard is planted.

Wolta Wolta is grown on Block 18 of The Lodge Vineyard, planted in 1979.  This block was specifically chosen because of its location in a slightly cooler pocket of the vineyard, allowing for additional hang-time to coax out maximum flavour, concentration and phenolic ripeness – a nod to the methods cherished in the Mosel at Dr. Loosen. – Sam Barry, Loosen Barry

Destemmed and crushed, the fruit was then pressed into stainless steel for 12 hours to settle, before being racked into 3,000 litre German oak ‘Fuder’ cask. The wine then rested on full yeast lees for 23 months at 10˚C before being transferred to stainless steel where it sat on fine lees at 1˚C for a further 1 month.

"Very pure nose of quartz, orange rind and clouds of chalk dust. Leans to a more exotic fruit profile than that of the 2022 with orange crush, mandarin and star fruit - quite dialled up in the texture through a decadent mid palate, but with this tensile pure core of crystalline acidity driving it all the way to the back corners of the palate. Very very good wine with longevity on its side!" - from our 10 years of LoosenBarry tasting

Green tints. Amazing freshness and zest. Lime juice and slight yeastiness. Lively acidity that seems a touch higher than most vintages. Bright and incisive; high energy and real finesse. Tension, refinement, line and length. A beautiful wine indeed. It showed a different face today than when previously tasted.  98 Points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

"Plush, fuller-flavoured, set to mid-weight, slippery, intense, slate and steel, lemon and lime, ginger and green almond. Crackling minerality, stony notes, savoury. Shit yeah! This has it all. In youth, the pucker and chew something else, otherworldly compared to rank and file riesling. Leafy herbal notes, blackcurrant, more to add to the shopping cart of descriptors. It’s all about energy and vibrancy and deliciousness. In the slot. 96+ Points - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front

Where classic Clare Riesling is fine detail viewed in tight focus, this is a deep and dazzling image projected through a kaleidoscope. Its “otherness” is aromatically evident. Mango skin, lemongrass, preserved lemon, tangy margarita rims and a smidge of sourdough starter. 96 Points - Nick Ryan, The Australian