Single Vineyard Riesling 2024

Tasting Notes:

The 2024 Duke’s Vineyard Riesling presents in a pale straw hue with green edges, showcasing its youthful vibrancy. On the nose, it’s an aromatic delight, with a bouquet of crushed lime, orange citrus blossom, green pineapple, yellow delicious apple, and papaya.

On the palate, the wine is ripe and floral, with sub-tropical notes framed by jasmine and lime pith. There’s a balance of powerful fruit sweetness, with tropical flavours of green mango and papaya shining through. The wine’s focus is enhanced by a saline edge, giving it a wonderful texture that complements its fresh, fruity character.

Vintage Conditions:

2024 is remembered as one of the earliest harvests on record for Duke’s Vineyard, with the entire vintage completed a day before the 2023 harvest began. Warm temperatures in late September and October accelerated budburst and flowering, compressing the growing season. Despite heat spikes in late January and February, careful vineyard management and irrigation ensured the fruit reached optimal ripeness. The result is a wine with intense aromatics, ripe fruit, and a beautiful balance of freshness and concentration.

Winemaking:

The 2024 Single Vineyard Riesling comes from a young block of Riesling, known as the “baby Magpie Hill,” with free-run juice from both the young and old blocks. The fruit was hand-picked and chilled overnight before being whole bunch pressed to preserve its pristine, aromatic juice. The wine was fermented cool in stainless steel tanks with a selected aromatic yeast and aged on lees for two months to enhance its texture and mouthfeel. Bottled in June, this wine is ready to be enjoyed straight away.

Food Pairing Suggestions:

• Tempura Whiting – The delicate flavours of the fish will complement the Riesling’s crisp acidity and tropical fruit notes.
• Scallop Ceviche with Lime Oil – The citrusy zing and freshness of ceviche will enhance the wine’s vibrant citrus and floral qualities.
• Fromage Blanc with Fingerlime and Saltbush – A rich, creamy cheese paired with the zesty tang of fingerlime and saltbush will balance the wine’s freshness and fruitiness.

Best Serving Temperature:

Serve chilled at 8-10°C to highlight the wine’s refreshing acidity and aromatic intensity. If stored in a fridge, leave out for 5 mins before drinking.

Wine Analysis:

• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Acidity: 7.3 g/L
• pH: 3.05
• Residual Sugar: 4.0 g/L

Accolades:

• 94 Points – Wine Pilot
• 93 Points – The Real Review
• 92 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Awards:

• Top 100 Winery – The Real Review
• Halliday Top 5-Star Winery

The 2024 Duke’s Vineyard Single Vineyard Riesling is an exceptional wine that offers a bright, aromatic expression of Riesling, combining freshness and complexity in a beautifully balanced package. Perfect for immediate enjoyment or medium-term cellaring, it’s a wine that’s sure to impress now and age gracefully over time.

Technical Terms Explained:

• Taut linear structure: This refers to the wine having a firm and crisp feel on the palate, with its acidity giving it a structured and clean finish—like a straight line, not too soft or flabby.
• Residual sugar: This is the amount of sugar that remains in the wine after fermentation. In simple terms, it adds sweetness to the wine. In this case, the Riesling has just a touch (4.0 g/L), which keeps it on the dry side while still giving some fruit sweetness.
• Free-run juice: This refers to the juice that flows naturally from the grapes when they’re pressed, without any additional force. It’s typically more delicate and has less tannin compared to juice that’s pressed harder.
• Lees: These are the dead yeast cells and other particles that remain in the wine after fermentation. Aging the wine “on lees” means allowing the wine to sit with these particles, which adds body, texture, and complexity.
• pH: This measures the acidity of the wine. A lower pH means the wine is more acidic (crisper, sharper), while a higher pH means the wine is softer. In this case, the Riesling’s pH of 3.05 means it has a refreshing, tangy acidity that balances its fruitiness.
• Acidity: This refers to the sharpness or tartness in the wine, often perceived as a crisp, refreshing quality. Higher acidity is great for keeping wines fresh and helps them pair well with food.

Learn About Duke’s Vineyard

Dukes Vineyard is nestled between the picture-perfect Stirling & Porongurup ranges of Western Australia, in the Great Southern Wine Region. Duke’s wines is a family-owned, boutique winery that has achieved many outstanding accolades over a 20 plus year history including being awarded Best Australian Wine of the Year in 2019 James Halliday’s Wine Companion.

Dukes Winery has an award-winning collection of dry Rieslings, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz which thrive in the opulent surroundings of one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, the Porongurups.

When founders Duke and Hilde Ranson retired in 2022, Ben Cane and his partner Sarah Date stepped in to acquire Duke’s Vineyard. Ben, formerly the chief winemaker at esteemed labels in Australia and California, felt deeply privileged to take the reins of this family-owned enterprise. Duke’s Vineyard, celebrated for its role in elevating Great Southern Rieslings to prominence, entrusted Ben to carry forward its legacy of excellence, and he has done just that!

Read the latest Dukes Wine Reviews Here

Planning a trip to the Porongurup area? Make sure to visit the official Porongurup Wine Association page HERE