Kanta Riesling Balhannah Vineyard

It is ready to go. drink up

The Kanta Balhannah Vineyard Riesling 2008 showed really bright yellow reflexes, seemed still super vivid and showed not significant traces of ageing. Its nose was dominated by mild petrol, impressive smoke, white flowers, shy lime and leftovers of exotic fruit fragrances like pine-apple and peach. In the nose it seemed much more aged than its colour tried to predict. On the second day I got even more refined mineral impressions than the day before. Which was really working very nice …

Post Christmas Tasting (@Private location) : My first Australian Riesling. Thanks to Chris  Egon Müller goes Australia, from blue slate. Clear, youthful pale lemon color. Clean, medium- intense nose which was really hard to track. My first guess was Chenin Blanc, my second one Grüner Veltliner. Very restrained, driven by stony mineral, less fruit (yellow stone fruit). Dry, with a tiny little “sugar tail”. Medium acidity, alcohol and body. Lean with interesting tension and pressure, never broad or fat, …

My first Riesling from Australia out of a Joint Venture Egon Müller does in Down Under. Well made Riesling who doesn't let you feel the heat of the Australien sun. Nice acidity, a bit "hard" on the mid-palate.

Quality riesling - you get the nice touch of petroleum (I like it) very nice balance - lemon - fruity - good long aftertaste and a complex wine - very good

It is a decent wine - but nothing special - the wine is kind of lacking character - se also my last rating

in the nose you get the petroleum I was expecting - the palette was nice and fruity with a good acidity - was not overly impressed by the finish

Citrus and acidity, yet still very soft, creamy and easy in the mouth. Wonderful!

Flowers and petrol, soft and juicy, elegant and stylish, good length, very competent but not very exciting.

Egon Muller Dinner at The Ledbury (The Ledbury, London) : Pale straw. Faint citrus nose. Dry, citrusy, hint of chalk. Nice but a bit too lemony.

I might be onto something here. Kanta rieslings are very different to really anything you might find in Australia. A halfway house if I ever saw one. Lemon and citrus fruit, with the necessary acidity, yet mouthfilling, broad, ripe and downright powerful. Alsacian palate weight and slightly oily feel; very seductive. Like the 2005 I'm not sure if this will get any better but will put some aside to find out.

This is a joint venture between Egon Muller and Adelaide retailer Michael Andrewarthur. Fruit sourced from Balhannah in the Adelaide hills is the source of this complex, textured dry Riesling. It is a little cheesy on the nose with savoury whiffs of slate. In the mouth it has layers of mineral infused flavour and whilst quite understated it totally satiates with some paired back citrus and slate character.