Sons of Eden Freya Riesling 2012

Sons of Eden is a partnership between Simon Cowham (one of Australia's most accomplished vignerons) and Corey Ryan (one of Australia's most accomplished winemakers). They make a formidable team and their exceptional skill and experience are expressed in the Sons of Eden Wines. Named in "Ten of the Best" by James Halliday in his 2010 Wine Companion.

"Just when you thought it was safe to stop buying 2012 South Australian Riesling. A bursting juicy palate – so much flavour of a tangy and sherbetty persuasion – pulled together with fine acidity, requisite slatey bits and a long zesty finish. So good to drink now it's hard to imagine a good reason to hang on to it? One of those wines where it's hard to draw the line between tasting and drinking."  Gary Walsh

Simon nurtures the vines that are used in some of the Eden/Barossa valley iconic wines. Indeed, 98% of the crop is sought after by the likes of Henschke, Yalumba and Torbreck. Only 2% of the crop (mostly old vineyards) is selected for Corey to craft into exquisite wines of considerable flavour, complexity and length. It is hard to imagine a better pedigree behind any wine label.

"The estate-grown wines are of outstanding quality” - James Halliday

"Citrus blossom aromas lead to citrus zest flavours that are accompanied by a tight mineral line. The long fine palate is well balanced with crisp natural acidity typical of exceptional handpicked Eden Valley Rieslings made to a dry style.

Vintage 2012 was a near perfect growing and ripening season that has resulted in Riesling being hand harvested at optimum ripeness. The Riesling vines, carrying a balanced crop of fruit to leaf area, benefited from a significant summer rainfall even in late February 2012. This enabled the fruit to ripen in a low stress environment and to retain an optimum acid balance while developing classic Riesling flavours."  Sons of Eden 

Expert reviews

"Hand-picked and whole bunch-pressed; this is classic Eden Valley at its best; the fragrant, flowery citrus blossom aromas lead into a laser-cut palate, at once juicy yet minerally, the flavours hitting the tip of the tongue as the wine enters the mouth, and then refusing to go away. Drink by: 2025."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points

"Just when you thought it was safe to stop buying 2012 South Australian Riesling" Baby oil, ripe lime, apple blossom and into a bursting juicy palate – so much flavour of a tangy and sherbetty persuasion – pulled together with fine acidity, requisite slatey bits and a long zesty finish. So good to drink now it's hard to imagine a good reason to hang on to it? One of those wines where it's hard to draw the line between tasting and drinking. Drink: 2013 - 2022+."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 94 points

"You can throw a blanket across a lot of these 2012 Eden Valley and Clare Valley Rieslings. So many good examples. Here's another one. I believe it comes from the Craneford Vineyard, lying between the Eden Valley township and High Eden sub-region at an altitude of 450 metres above sea level. Pure and pristine. Juicy lime, green apples and sweeter notes of zest through the mid-palate. Citrus blossom aromatics. Fine acid carries the wine with ease towards a dry, chalky finish. Plays with a straight bat, between the arc. Ready to go now although it will improve with time. Deserves a spot on the Ashes tour."  Jeremy Pringle, Wine Will Eat Itself – 94 points (Excellent)

About the winery

When winemaker Corey Ryan and multi-skilled viticulturist Simon Cowham established Sons of Eden in 2000, they already had years of experience in South Australia's Barossa and Eden Valleys.

Ryan has racked up more than 25 Barossa vintages and worked in New Zealand with Villa Maria Estates; he was awarded 2007 New Zealand Winestate Winemaker of the Year. Back home, he was a 2016 finalist in Gourmet Traveller Wine's Australian Winemaker of the Year. But it was his time as a winemaker at Henschke that lit his fire for the Eden Valley.

Cowham's early days included selling OddBins wines in its glory days, returning from England to work for the Winemakers' Federation of Australia. He switched to grape growing by qualifying as a viticulturist and joining Yalumba as manager of its Heggies and Pewsey Vale vineyards in the mid-'90s. In 2013, Barons of Barossa anointed him Barossa Winemaker of the Year. He, too, has 25-plus Barossa vintages under his belt.

More than 25 vineyard sites across the Barossa and Eden Valleys supply fruit to Sons of Eden: 10 are directly managed and operated by the label, the rest are supplied by handshake agreements with their loyal generational growers. The success of the arrangement is demonstrated by three Most Successful Exhibitor awards from the Barossa Wine Show, two Winewise Small Vigneron Awards and an unbroken annual stream of five-red-star ratings from 2012 to now.