Crawford River Riesling 2019

Crawford River is ideally suited to the growing and making of diamond-like rieslings of towering longevity. My love affair with Crawford River Riesling began many years ago, and burns as brightly today as it did when I first tasted it."  James Halliday

Crawford River riesling needs little introduction. They are arguably the greatest Riesling producer in Victoria and, for many wine lovers, the greatest Riesling producer in Australia. The 2019 Crawford River Riesling is their 44th release and another benchmark wine that will age superbly.

"The palate is rich and juicy at the same time as it's refined and delicate. There is power here, concentration and persistence: it's a stunning balancing act of rich, ripe fruit with refinement. Variations on the theme of lemon! This is a magnificent riesling."  Huon Hooke

"A particularly fine, mineral expression of our site and the season – this wine is exciting. Delicate citrus, white florals and green melon combine with hints of oyster shell on the nose. A stone-like mineral quality flows from the start of the palate throughout, alongside chalky texture and layers of complexity that meld fruit weight and acidity seamlessly. These elements combine to create a wine of great balance with terrific persistence. Only just beginning its journey. Will benefit from time in the glass."  Crawford River

Expert reviews

"Bright light-mid yellow-green hue, and a refined, restrained lime/lemon aroma. The palate is rich and juicy at the same time as it's refined and delicate. There is power here, concentration and persistence: it's a stunning balancing act of rich, ripe fruit with refinement. Variations on the theme of lemon! This is a magnificent riesling. Drink: 2020-2034."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 98 points

"The 'old' vines, planted in '75 and '77, hit their straps years ago. Today, this is a wine of provenance. Yet a cool region is not immune to hot/drier weather and this already has some forward toasty, lime marmalade flavours and could advance the ageing process. It is drinking beautifully now, as there's certainly the acid backbone keeping this afloat. Drink by 2029."  Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"Pound for pound one of the greatest wines in Australia, by my reckoning, value and quality. Again, great wine here. It's an inky, dense release with impressive flavour spectrum and sense of complexity. Indeed, this release is perhaps less about precision and velocity and more about quiet opulence, layers of fruit character ranging from citrus to apples to stone fruits with spice, herbal detail and strong, talc and chalk-like minerally charm (and texture!) in the mix. So much going on. A wine to really sit back and contemplate, while washing over the senses with a general freshness. Yeah. Drink: 2020-2035."   Mike Bennie, The Wine Front - 95 points

"Very vivid lemon and lime notes with juice, pith and peel, as well as white peach and some gently herbal notes, too. The palate is smoothly refined, seamless and long with interlaced peach and citrus flavours that hold very long. Concentrated fruit drive here. Drink or hold. Screw cap."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 95 points

Awards

Special Value Wine - Halliday Wine Companion  ★

About the winery

Belinda and John Thomson

In 1975, John and Catherine Thomson planted their vineyard at Crawford River, in far south-west Victoria, with Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a relatively unexplored wine growing region, but they were inspired by its geographical and geological potential to produce superior quality grapes. The cool, southerly latitude together with the maritime influence, complex soil structure and favourable micro-climate create a terroir which has justified the initial vision. The area is now known as the Geographical Indication (GI) of Henty. 

More plantings followed in 1976 and 1977 and the addition of a winery in 1981. Two further small plantings occurred in 1994 and 2001, however, they are now in the phase of replanting to ensure the longevity and future resilience of their special site. The wines are crafted exclusively from hand-picked and selected fruit grown on the estate vineyard, where they are subsequently processed and bottled on-site. 

Belinda Thomson took over from her father John as Chief Winemaker and Viticulturist in 2014 and is now the creative force behind the vineyard and wines. After studying Viticulture and Oenology in NZ in 2002 and staying on to work for several years, she returned to work with her father in 2005 after overseas harvests in France, Germany and Spain. A hunger for knowledge together with a passion for family led her to combine responsibilities at Crawford River with extensive international experience across a range of countries, before returning full-time in 2014 to her family estate. In 2020 she was a finalist in the Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year list, as well as being included in the Top 50 Young Gun Vineyards of the year awards.

Crawford River Vineyard

The Crawford River Vineyard lies at the alluvial edge of a volcanic lava flow. The 11.5 Ha vineyard has its roots in an unusually complex, mineral-rich soil base. Gravelly, friable, basalt loam overlays permeable clay which in turn lies above a limestone base created by an ancient, risen seabed.

Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon are the two main varieties in the vineyard, with smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

All major activities such as picking, pruning, leaf-plucking, shoot-thinning and green pruning are done by hand. The vineyard is maintained without the use of herbicides or insecticides and organic practices are used wherever possible. They have a bio-dynamic test plot that Belinda prepared and planted with Riesling in 2014.