Tasting the wines of Sierra Reed is one of the most satisfying vinous experiences every year. The range is diverse, the grapes sourced from all over, and moreover, it’s impossible to pin down a ‘style’. Every wine presents differently, not only within the range, but vintage to vintage, as Sierra pushes the boundaries of her experience, preferences and most importantly, what’s best for the fruit.
The best winemakers are like the best coaches and sporting manages; they make the best of the what they have. Not everyone has the vineyard resources of a Muller, Latour, or DRC, but sometimes a winemaker as talented and intuitive as Sierra Reed comes upon a parcel of perfection, and the results are incredible.
What I loved about this trio of Rieslings, in particular the two from New Zealand, is that the final outcome in the glass was inevitable. The fruit presented itself in such a way, that Sierra knew exactly what she wanted to do, but it was as if the vineyard had made her work easy. But nothing’s easy, and I suspect many winemakers would have approached things differently, and the wines alas, would not be as Sierra’s are.
These are pure classic Rieslings of richness and depth, with filigreed palates, complex flavours and powerful structures. They are silken, effortless to drink, and poised in the sense that you would think the winemaker had inherited a long familial tradition, from a vineyard region of a thousand vintages. Very few sweeter styled Rieslings outside Germany are as good as this, and none better. The values are remarkable and I can only hope that this is the beginning of a long tradition, starting with Sierra Reed.
Reed ‘White Heart’ Riesling, Mount Alexander 2023
A remarkable feinherb style. Tangy, tense and lithe with very high levels of natural acidity balanced by gentle sweetness. Flesh and zest of lime, grapefruit, white flowers, lemon, cumquat and tangerine. The acidity and salty minerality lend a sort of chisel and muscularity. This is certainly approachable now, but ideally better in a year or two, to finesse those structural angles. Juicy and piquant, the acidity, sweetness and fruit, interwoven perfectly and the sensations long. An Australian benchmark to be sure. The fruit is so full of tangy ripeness, yet there is no sourness. What a bargain.
Reed ‘Siren’ Riesling, North Otago 2023
There is something Sarr like here, the flavours complex, explosive and tangy, yet with a texture of silk. For those who love German Rieslings, this sits at about a Spatlese feinherb. Rich, succulent and full bodied with flavours of honeycomb, blackcurrant, cherry, rose, fresh lime, candied lime, peach, passionfruit, oats and grapefruit. Deep, and despite its opulence; precise, focused and unwavering. Very powerful and absorbing, the finish long, buoyant and salty. Just awesome.
Reed ‘Frequency’ Botrytis Riesling, North Otago 2023
The wine is poured from across the room, our kitchen to be exact, with the kids running around, the detritus of a busy family home everywhere. And yet, I am utterly fixated on the aromas teasing my attention. A wine of pure natural power, decadence and sensual complexity to take your mind from the busyness of life. A genuine Trockenbeeranauslese, with heady notes of chocolate orange, cumquat, yellow peach, honeycomb, tinned peaches, green mango, pineapple, cherry, passionfruit and Creme Brule. For every sweet fruit. there’s a tangy fruit, for every dark, a lighter one. The massive richness, precision cut with acidity. The flavours, the memories go long and far. If I had a bad thought, it’s banished with this in the glass. Benchmark.
