Aroma
The bouquet is highly perfumed with aromas
of Nashi pear, gardenia, and yuzu, with hints of passionfruit, papaya and
fresh lime juice.
Palate
The palate is crisp yet richly textured, with a fine, talc-like
minerality imparting a pleasing slipperiness to the texture in the mouth.
Bright flavours of Honeycrisp apple and guava run a fine line between sweet
and tart, balanced by decadent, spice-laden richness evocative of marzipan,
saffron kulfi, and almond biscotti. The elegant and complex palate is
punctuated with an electric line of acidity, imparting exceptional length and a
clean, crisp finish.
Vintage Notes
In the lead up to the 2026 harvest, the drought conditions that had plagued
the first half of 2025, were somewhat compensated by higher than average
Spring rains which encouraged good early canopy growth in the vineyards.
Colder and wetter conditions through November delayed flowering and
fruit set, setting the early agenda for what was to be a relatively late harvest.
As summer arrived, an extended period of dry weather with warmer than
average temperatures, meant that sun protection and judicious irrigation was
paramount throughout the ripening period, but proved perfect conditions for
slow and steady ripening – the typical harbingers of an outstanding year for
Riesling.
Vintage officially commenced on the 5th of March – a full four weeks later
than in 2025. Five days later the summer drought broke in spectacular
fashion, with almost 90mm of rain falling in 48 hours. While the effects of
this unprecedented rain event were felt across both Clare and Eden Valleys,
quick response by our growers and cool heads in the winery were paramount
to ensure that grape quality was maintained; and by the time the last of the
juices made their way into ferment they were among the purest expressions of
Riesling the Freaks have ever seen.
While 2026 certainly put winemaking skills to the test, the entire range of
Rieslingfreak Rieslings are a remarkable expression of refined elegance,
purity, power, and poise. The almost perfect growing conditions leading into
harvest clearly determined the quality and style potential, which endured the
impact of the late season rains to deliver a sensational selection of distinct and
distinguished Rieslings.
Region Notes
Sourced from the Polish Hill River vineyard, situated 5km South-East of
the Clare township. The vineyard is owned by Rob and Lyn Jaeschke, who
purchased the vineyard from Penfolds in 2010. The vineyard is planted on
grey-brown loam-based soils, over sandy limestone and shale rock. The
Riesling vines are almost 20 years old, planted on 50-year-old root stock.
