O'Leary Walker, Polish Hill River Riesling, Clare Valley
O'Leary Walker · South Australia › Clare Valley › Australia
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
88
/100
Reviews
26
professional
Vintages
No vintages
NV
Community Reviews
3939
Reviews
88.3
Avg Score
92
Highest
Taster #0341
· Aug 21, 2025
91/100
Matchstick, salt, petrol, lemon peel, clementines, ripe yellow peach, ripe melon and apple juice on the nose. This feels influenced by both TDN and reductive winemaking. High intensity of aromas. The palate shows flavors of matchstick, lemon peel, stone, white pepper, ripe apricot, ripe golden apple, and ash. It's more citrus driven than the nose, with a great streak. The flavors are pretty youthful for a 17 year old wine - the Stelvin did its job. Medium + intensity of …
2008 vintage
Taster #9420
· Apr 4, 2025
92/100
Pale golden colour. Fine lime aromas. Beautifully elegant and refined. Ditto palate. Polish Hill length, complexity and minerality are writ large. Acid still directing the show. Wonderful, though will be better in 5 and even more in 10 years. 4 days later: Still right up there with Day One. Acid less evident, which is a benefit. Has many years ahead of it.
2013 vintage
Taster #8009
· Mar 25, 2025
Red And White With Riesling (Ronin Japanese Croydon) : Blind taste. Deep rich golden, glossy. Kerosene, waxy, lanolin, slight florals. The body is quite thick, acidity quite bright and alive, mouthwatering, finish medium. It's quite soft in the mouth, kerosene, grapefruit, honey. Very nice, you can taste the age.
2013 vintage
Taster #7565
· Mar 25, 2025
Angelica Wine Club - Red & White & Riesling (Ronin Japanese restaurant, Croydon) : "Served blind. Honey, very slight kerosene, muted citrus, slightly herbaceous underpin. Medium plus intensity acidity , super tangy, red apple and apple skin lends a crunchy quality, citrus pushes yellow and unripe orange, lime. A little herbal note. I guessed SA, 10-12 years old. "
2013 vintage
Taster #7792
· Dec 26, 2024
Quite a deep gold/yellow with a clear rim. Very developed honey, apple, lemon/lime with toast and mineral accents. Very toasty/honied palate of apple and lime with some astringency and minerality. Medium intensity but quite good length. Mouth watering. Very good.
2013 vintage
Taster #2709
· Feb 17, 2024
90/100
Still very youthful but less reticent than a couple of years ago. A nose of buttered lime rind and apple sauce with good height. Quite an astringent mouth (definitely needs food) of cider apples and grapefruit. Almost buttery finish of good length. Not terribly complex but all the flavors are big. I feel comfortable holding another 3 years or so before opening up the next one (although I'm happy to drink it now).
2013 vintage
Taster #4324
· May 22, 2023
92/100
Golden in colour, toasty and viscous on the palate, with ripe fruit, light kero, some florals and sea spray. Good length, breadth and acidity. It’s in the latter phase of its development.
2013 vintage
Taster #1776
· May 20, 2023
2013 Polish Hill River Riesling, O'Leary Walker NB42 TASTING Turning to golden yellow. Toasty, brown apple, white florals and lemon nose. Age development through to palate, but pithy lemon and bath salts drive this very long. It's half old and half young. Will be interesting to see where this goes. Better when it warmed up. Very good.
2013 vintage
Taster #5999
· Aug 16, 2021
87/100
Lovely pale golden colour, a little muted on the nose, but some nice lemon/lime character, with the slightest hint of petrol. Quite acidic on the palate, that carries through to a slighly muted mid palate before opening up to a nice zesty finish. Overall, not bad - not as exciting as some Aus Rieslings can be, but enjoyable none the less. Not sure about keeping it any further, in fact it could be a little past its best.
2008 vintage
Taster #4619
· Jun 29, 2020
85/100
The nose was more promising than the palate, some stone fruits soft and mellow on the nose in the mouth a rather harsh as in old grapefruit nothing else, no real length, disappointing.
2013 vintage
Taster #2371
· May 9, 2019
85/100
Typical petrol on the nose. Piercing lime acidity - quite refreshing. Pretty decent
2013 vintage
Taster #1860
· Apr 25, 2019
90/100
Very nice
2013 vintage
Taster #9028
· Sep 8, 2017
Quality Clare Rizza. Nice age on it. Drink now.
2008 vintage
Taster #5845
· Aug 8, 2017
{screwcap, 12%} Mid yellow. Lemon dominates the nose and palate. With a slightly detergent aspect. Still freshly acid, but also fairly full-bodied, and a touch flabby in character. Still enjoyable, but rather monochromatic and simple. Dry, a touch greasy in texture; the acid fades quickly, despite seeming to have staying power. Drink up.
2008 vintage
Taster #5845
· May 23, 2017
A ringer for last October's bottle. Gotta love the screwcap consistency, I must say.
2008 vintage
Taster #9546
· Jan 29, 2017
91/100
Showing really well for a youngster. Sharp and dry. Lime and mineral. Decent length. Great QPR at under $20. Would like to see it again in 5 years
2015 vintage
Taster #5845
· Oct 28, 2016
{screwcap, 12%} Mid-yellow. Clean, developing, lemon and blossom nose. Very much citrus-dominated. The palate is surprisingly thick and almost greasy in texture, with a slight grassy note to the lemon flavours. Maybe a touch soapy and detergent-like. It's got a steely spinal quality, but it's fairly monolithic in many ways, and lacks real dimension and interest. Medium-bodied, with a medium-length finish, it's still a decently drinkable, developing riesling which is somewhere in the mid-range of Clare quality. More cellar time …
2008 vintage
Taster #6059
· Oct 20, 2016
90/100
GMs - Kevin Farewell #2 @ Encasa : Toast, citrus, lemon and taking on a little honeyed development. Good length, medium bodied. In a nice medium aged spot, with time still remaining.
2008 vintage
Taster #6708
· Aug 11, 2016
There's some toast and a little petrol sneaking into the aroma profile. The fruit is limey and you get some rockmelon as well. Acidity is softening and it is just about ready to go.
2008 vintage
Taster #8599
· Apr 13, 2016
92/100
A finely ageing 92+/100 (3.7/5.0) from me. This Riesling hails from the Polish Hill River subregion of the Clare Valley, where the climate is cooler and is marked by the rocky grey loam acid soils, over sandstone and slate. Halliday gave it 95 saying it was "beautifully structured...with impressive line and length". The light and vibrant golden colour and sweet fragrant nose are alluring, as limes, lemons and orange blossom waft with soft spice and stainless steal. The fine fruit …
2008 vintage
Taster #4273
· Nov 16, 2015
90/100
Lean dry young riesling, green apples hint of lime. quite simple in profile but in great balance look forward to revisiting in several years
2015 vintage
Taster #6708
· Oct 18, 2015
This thing is all Tahitian lime and slate. It is dry and direct in the mouth with good intensity and a talc like feel. Acidity is fresh and zippy and it has very good persistence.
2015 vintage
Taster #6059
· Sep 15, 2015
90/100
Negociants Australia Portfolio Tasting : Mineral, pear and floral notes. A bit more in balance than the Watervale at this tasting, there is more substance to the fruit which helps to give the acidity a purpose, even when this young. Very good.
2015 vintage
Taster #9725
· Dec 13, 2014
85/100
Clean nose, apple, a little citrus and minerality. Perhaps some spent matchsticks? Palate is clean and refreshing, a little astringent on the mid palate, shows more rounded melon flavours. Medium finish.
2008 vintage
Taster #1137
· Dec 4, 2014
87/100
a little disjointed on the palate, but a classic nose. nice acidity but lacking depth of character.
2008 vintage
Taster #3266
· Jul 1, 2014
74/100
A nose of petrol light straw in color. A light bodied undrinkable white, unless you like drinking gasoline. www.winelx.com
2008 vintage
Taster #8342
· Oct 14, 2012
87/100
Minerals, limes, petrol. Fairly rich. Very acidic. Good food wine.
2008 vintage
Taster #1371
· Jul 22, 2012
90/100
Heavy apricot and melon, random citrus undertones, fuller than expected. Great buy but still overrated at 95pts. Will hold second bottle for a few more years.
2008 vintage
Taster #5977
· Jun 18, 2012
83/100
Color: Pale hay. Nose: A bit of lemon lime and some spring flowers, but mostly petrol/rubber band. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Palate: Very tart lemon-lime citrus fruit and rubber. Very high acid. Short finish of green apple and bike tire. Simple. Very disappointing. Extremely acidic, which I happen to like, but there's not nearly enough fruit to balance it. It's also dead simple, with no real complexity to speak of, and the rubber note is much too prominent. My rating may …
2008 vintage
Taster #3364
· Jun 17, 2012
91/100
This is my style of Riesling, nice and dry with great minerality. Good fruit, could use a bit more. Nice and long finish. Highly recommended.
2008 vintage
Taster #0983
· May 11, 2012
89/100
Interesting wine... lots of petrol on the nose, along with some citrus and foral notes. Far more dry than I was expecting given the 12% abv, I was expecting some residual sugar, but instead it finsihed with tons of minerality, almost savory. Hint of effervesence.
2008 vintage
Taster #0783
· May 11, 2012
89/100
Mostly Aussies (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.) : I really enjoyed this riesling. It starts off with a real smoke and peanut aroma, but turns into more of a white peach and mineral aroma with time. The palate has tangy acid, but it's also quite full of peach and slate flavors. I was impressed by the minerality, which borders on austere. I really think this wine needs another five years in the bottle to show its stuff. There was a …
2008 vintage
Taster #6669
· Sep 3, 2011
90/100
My note on the last bottle of this wine said: "Lots going on in this wine. Pale straw in colour. On the nose, there's lime, lemon oil and blossom. The palate has lime, apples, minerality and a slight spritz. The finish is crisp with tangy acidity. I will be getting some more of this" And to that I say Amen
2008 vintage
Taster #6669
· Jan 3, 2011
90/100
Lots going on in this wine. Pale straw in colour. On the nose, there's lime, lemon oil and blossom. The palate has lime, apples, minerality and a slight spritz. The finish is crisp with tangy acidity. I will be getting some more of this.
2008 vintage
Taster #9693
· Jul 31, 2010
Pretty closed, though clearly a wine of interest and quality. Opened up a bit over three days becoming pleasantly limey and minerally. Remaining bottle will be left for a good few years.
2008 vintage
Taster #8342
· Apr 26, 2010
88/100
Mineral intense. Very different from the usual ripe and sweet lime fruit of many other aussie rieslings. Palate did have a good weight of fruit, but very dry with a tart finish. Good length. Like sucking on rocks!
2008 vintage
Taster #4887
· Jul 18, 2009
TWATS Typhoon (Kells Shelter) : a tartness, real zing, people liked
2008 vintage
Taster #1134
· Feb 15, 2009
87/100
Lime, chalk, musk, perfumed, slightly muted. Citrus, minerally texture, sits squarely mid-palate.
2008 vintage
Taster #6708
· Dec 26, 2008
Pure lime and slate aromatics with just a hint of fennel. Compact in the mouth with a steely intensity and terrific mineral drive to the finish.
2008 vintage