2023 Crawford River Strata Riesling
Region: Henty, Victoria, Australia
Grape: Riesling
Culinary Suggestions: Seafood, Vietnamese Salad, Salt & Pepper Calamari
Vineyard Practice: Sustainable, Vegan
About
John and Catherine Thomson planted the vineyard in 1975 at Crawford River, in far south-west Victoria. They were inspired by its potential to produce superior quality grapes after researching & experiencing many grape growing areas of the world. It was a relatively unexplored wine growing region and indeed remains merely a blot on the canvas. Although the area is now known as the GI of Henty.
Presiding over gently undulating grazing lands with sprawling forests in the distance, Crawford River has paved the way for the industry in what is traditionally a wool, beef and dairy region. The winery atop the hill and the vineyard hugging the slope nestled in the midst of a large sheep and cattle station that John’s great-grandfather settled in 1884. Since the initial plantings in the mid 1970´s, there have been 2 more small plantings. Believing in the fine quality of the Semillon included in the original plantings, John and Catherine added another 0.7 Ha of the variety in the early 1990´s. In 2000, another block of Riesling & Cabernet was added, which now produces the Young Vines Riesling & Rose wines. The cool southerly latitude together with the maritime environment, complex soil structure and favourable micro-climate create a terroir which has justified the initial vision.
Sisters Belinda Thomson & Fiona Thomson, daughters of John and Catherine, now look after day to day operations with Belinda based at the winery looking after vineyard and winemaking and Fiona taking care of sales and marketing. - Distributor Note
Tasting Notes
From 2000/2001 plantings. Wet, dry, wet, hail. A tricky season for Crawford River was 2023. This wine ends up decidedly delicate and pretty, however.
Attractive, refreshing, fine boned. There’s distinct lemon myrtle, ginger, alpine herbs and sea spray happening in the perfume. Texture is waxy and yet light weight, a touch of truffle underlying in savouriness with hallmark lemony citrus, lemongrass, more ginger and prickly, sweet spice chiming in. It feels like a faint botrytis elements plays a pleasing hand, lending concentration and some umami-like tang, but the details on the bot are guesstimation. All very composed, exceptional persistence. A very intriguing and delicious wine emerges.
94 points - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front Mar 2024
Drink: 2024 - 2030+