2025 Vintage Notes
The lead up to the 2025 vintage was notable for 2024 being the driest year on record in South Australia, as well as being the third-warmest year since records began in 1838. With little rain to speak of it was clear that the 2025 vintage would demand judicious irrigation and careful management of supplemental water to achieve quality crops. From budburst there were clear indicators of the potential for a bumper harvest, but hopes were dashed in late September when a catastrophic frost annihilated the early spring growth across much of the Clare and Eden Valleys. While initially devastating, the timing of this frost event played into our favour as we watched the vines bounce back with secondary budburst. The second crop was significantly smaller than the primary, but with limited water supply and no rain in sight, this allowed our growers to curate dense, healthy canopies with remarkable quality fruit from minimal water input. Summer temperatures were well above the long-term average leading to early harvests across South Australia. Rieslingfreak commenced picking on the 10th of February, with all the fruit received into the winery by the end of the month. For a year that is marked by hot and dry conditions, the intensity of flavour and electric acidity in the 2025 Rieslings is both remarkable and incredibly exciting. While the quantity of wine produced from the vintage may be meagre, the quality certainly cannot be questioned.
2025 No.2 Polish Hill River Riesling
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 approximately 15 years old, planted on 40 year old root stock. Polish Hill River was especially hard-hit but the September frost, with crops being reduced by over 70% in the Jaeschke vineyard. While fruit was scarce and the resulting wine volume meagre, the quality and regional expression of the 2025 No.2 is second to none. The bouquet is highly perfumed with aromas of fresh green apple, jasmine, and pomelo, with a hints of passionflower and fresh lime juice. The palate is crisp yet silky-soft, with a fine, talc-like minerality imparting a pleasing slipperiness to the texture in the mouth. The bright flavours of Granny Smith apple and yuzu run a fine line between sweet and tart, while the elegant and complex palate is punctuated with an electric line of acidity, imparting exceptional length and a clean, crisp finish.
2025 No.3 Clare Valley Riesling
The No.3 is harvested primarily from the family vineyard, situated in White Hutt, Clare Valley. The grapes are grown on heavy red clay soils that are rich in nutrients and have significant water holding capacity. These classic Terra Rossa soils are responsible for the rich flavours and generous palate weight that has become the hallmark of the No.3. The family vineyard in White Hutt always produces wines of great generosity, and the 2025 No.3 is a uniquely balanced wine that exhibits both richness and delicacy. The nose is richly seductive with aromas of Pink Lady Apples, Meyer lemon, guava and fresh nectarines. The palate is intensely flavoured with zesty citrus-driven flavours of lemon and blood orange, complemented by sweet apple and tropical notes of mango and passionfruit. The lusciously flavoured palate is classically generous yet deceptively delicate, deftly bound by a tight line of crisp acidity that carries through to a long, zesty finish.
James Suckling.com review by Ryan Montgomery
‘Fresh and tightly wound, with aromas of lime zest, green apples, guavas, talc, gun smoke and white flowers. The palate is full of drive and precision, showing bright acidity with lemon pith, crushed stones and a hint of jasmine. Linear and focused, with a long, mineral-edged finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.’
95 Points
2025 No.4 Eden Valley Riesling
Rieslingfreak No.4 is made from selected vineyards across the southern ranges of the Eden Valley region. The No.4 brings together the elegance, structure and acid drive of the High Eden subregion of Flaxman Valley, with the intense flavour and rich aromatics produced by vineyards on the outskirts of Angaston and Springton, imparting complexity to the bouquet and opulence to the palate. Eden Valley is renowned for Riesling of elegance, perfume and minerality; and the 2025 No.4 is a classic example of this unique style. The bouquet leaps forth with intense aromas of fresh limes, passionfruit, and rosewater; complemented by a spicy undertones of fennel seed and star anise. The evocative summertime scent of rain falling on warm slate transitions onto the elegant yet assuredly structured palate; educing a foundational slate- like minerality running beneath the punchy flavours of freshly squeezed lime juice and elderflower cordial. The tightly wound acidity, which is a hallmark of both the region and the 2025 vintage, drives the length of the palate drawing through to a fine, crisp finish; while the flavours lingering lusciously in the mouth long after the wine has gone.
James Suckling.com review by Ryan Montgomery
‘Tightly wound and pure aromas of lemon pith, grapefruit rind, slate, passion fruit, fresh herbs and white flowers. The palate is sharp and focused, with bright acidity and a firm line of minerality carrying notes of mandarin and chalk. The finish is both electric and precise. Excellent. Drink or hold.’
97 Points
2025 No.5 Clare Valley Off Dry Riesling
Harvested from the family vineyard, situated in White Hutt, just north of the Clare township. The block selected for No.5 is grey clay over limestone, with the vines planted in an east/west direction. The nature of this block results in fruit of unique elegance and flavour with high natural acid retention; perfectly suited to producing exquisitely balanced Off Dry Riesling. A year like 2025 which is marked by boldly assertive flavour and an abundance of electric acidity, provides for a perfect vintage to produce beautifully balanced Off Dry Riesling. The bouquet is richly imbued with the aromas of red apple, sweet orange and mandarin, complemented by fragrant floral scents of almond blossom and peonies. These seductive aromas transition seamlessly onto the lusciously flavoured palate, where the sweet flavours of apple and nectarine are balanced by a delightful zing of sherbet-like acidity. The natural sweetness of the style adds an unctuous richness to the mid-palate, while a core of driving acidity imparts linearity and length with a crisp, clean finish.
2025 No.8 Polish Hill River Schatzkammer Riesling
Sourced from our 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 on grey-brown loam, over sandy limestone and shale rock. Riesling Block “D6” which is specially selected for the No.8 is a tiny planting of just 0.4 ha, situated in a small gully bordered by a steep hill to the North, and the tree-lined bank of a creek to the South. The vines are approximately 20 years old, planted on 44-year-old root stock and are planted in an East-West direction. A year like 2025 which is marked by boldly assertive flavour and an abundance of electric acidity, provides for an exciting vintage for our iconic “Schatzkammer” Riesling. The bouquet is sweetly scented with aromas of passionfruit, apple blossom and lemon myrtle which carry through onto the lusciously flavoured palate. This wine is low in alcohol, with a finely-tuned balance of succulent residual sweetness and crackling acidity that balances perilously yet perfectly on a knife edge of precision. The luscious sweetness flows across the tip of the tongue, carrying with it a fruit basket of tropical and citrus flavours, before seamlessly giving way to a line of galvanic acidity that drives the length of the palate to a clean, crisp finish - the ultimate hallmark of the very best examples of this unique style of Riesling.
2025 No.10 Zenit Riesling
No.10 is our ultimate multi-regional blend that captures the very essence of the vintage and is the definitive expression of Riesling. The label was originally created in 2017 to celebrate our Wedding and serve exclusively to our family and friends, but now this wine has come to represent the very best of Rieslingfreak. No.10 is only produced in minute amounts from the most exceptional vintages. The 2025 No.10 is a blend of 71% Eden Valley and 29% Clare Valley, from specially selected sites across two of our most outstanding vineyards of the year; the Lienert Vineyard in Flaxman Valley, and the Sandow Family vineyard in Watervale in the Clare Valley. The 2025 No.10 effortlessly harmonises the refined elegance and silky texture of Watervale, with the slick precision and heady perfume of Flaxman Valley; creating a Riesling that is perfectly balanced with knife-edge precision. The bouquet is exquisitely perfumed; an enticing symphony of fresh lime, lemon curd, passionflower and rosewater, complemented by the fresh scents of pressed linen and talc. The palate is equally seductive; perfectly pure and pristine with a soft, velvety texture wrapped around a core of crackling acidity that courses through to a crisp and persistent finish. The ultimate expression of what that makes the Clare and Eden Valleys the pinnacle regions for growing world class Riesling, and the unique harmony that can be achieved by marrying these two very different styles together as one.
2025 No.12 Flaxman Valley Riesling
The 2025 Rieslingfreak No.12 was harvested from three small family-owned vineyards in Flaxman Valley in High Eden, a premium sub-region of Eden Valley. Renown for growing world-class Riesling of unrivalled elegance, this wine captures the very essence of the High Eden subregion in all its splendour. First released in 2021 to celebrate John’s achievement as being heralded as Barossa’s Winemaker of the Year, this wine celebrates the beauty of High Eden Riesling via a distinctive and highly perfumed bouquet, and elegantly structured palate. The 2025 No.12 is intensely perfumed with Kaffir lime and rosewater, complemented by the autumnal aroma of fallen leaves and the earthy, mineral accent of wet-slate and struck flint. The palate is ultra-refined and exceptionally delicate, with a slick and satiny texture wrapped around a core of crackling acidity. Exhibiting a symphony of zesty citrus flavours including gooseberry, yuzu and finger lime, combined with the sweet-floral pungency of fresh quince, the palate is grounded by a lick of flinty minerality with a sharpened steely edge. The crisp natural acidity imparts length and vibrancy, bringing laser-sharp focus to the driving, persistent finish.
(Image: Belinda Hughes, John Hughes, Rizza and Fizz - Rieslingfreak / www.rieslingfreak.com)