Riesling 2024 - Black Market Deal #53268

Despite being classified as light-bodied, this Riesling has spent over two months on lees, which adds significant texture and body. This extended lees contact creates a wine that sits on the medium to full-bodied side of the Riesling spectrum, giving it more weight and complexity than many commercial examples. The technique builds mouthfeel while preserving the variety's characteristic citrusy freshness.

Clare Valley Rieslings are renowned for their exceptional ageing potential, and this wine exemplifies that tradition. While it's delicious to drink now with its vibrant citrus and lime flavours, it will reward patience for up to a decade. As it ages, the wine will develop complex honeyed notes and petrol-like aromatics that are hallmarks of mature Riesling, while the minerality becomes more pronounced.

A 96-point rating from Wine Orbit places this Riesling in exceptional territory, indicating outstanding quality and complexity. Wine Orbit's five-star rating system recognises wines that demonstrate exceptional character, balance, and regional typicity. This score suggests the wine not only showcases classic Clare Valley Riesling characteristics but does so with remarkable finesse and depth.

Black Market Deals allow renowned producers to offer premium wines at significantly reduced prices by keeping their identity confidential. This protects their regular retail pricing structure while giving wine lovers access to exceptional quality at insider prices. The fact that this is described as coming from 'one of our favourite Clare producers' suggests it's from a highly respected winery with an established reputation for quality Riesling.

The wine's citrus and lime character with underlying minerality makes it superb with fresh seafood, particularly oysters, prawns, or grilled fish with herbs. Its textural weight from lees ageing allows it to handle richer dishes like roasted chicken or pork with fruit-based sauces. The natural acidity also makes it an excellent match for Asian cuisine, especially Thai or Vietnamese dishes with citrus and herb components.