Two very different new Rieslings from Frankland Estate and Parish Vineyard

Riesling is a fragile beast.

For all of its acid driven structure, Riesling remains a very easy wine to disturb, the aromatics often lost due to poor storage and any sort of taint really dominating. Little wonder that it was Rizza that kicked off the Aussie screwcap rush and remains where dark coloured glass remains the norm (no Arctic Blue bottle for Clare Riesling).

On that note, I do wonder whether the first wine in this duo from Frankland Estate may have been a bad bottle, as it just didn’t look as fresh as normal. Still, storage is a gamble, and ultimately I could just be an ungenerous scoring, grumpy bastard…

Regardless, it certainly stumbled versus the Parish Vineyard Rizza which, as you can see, comfortably outclassed it, despite the former’s lofty reputation.

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2013 (Frankland River, WA)
11.6%, Screwcap, $35

Now certified organic. The 2013 vintage wasn’t the greatest for many Great Southern Rieslings, the warmth leading to some overly broad wines. This carries what I think is a stamp of mixed ripeness, the nose really tangy and a little grassy, the palate tight and tart too, yet also with an edge of flab and tangerine toast premature development. The acid seems to fight the fruit tingle fruit, delivering a disjointed – if still quite long – wine that is all arms and legs, tart acid and forward fruit. Will it come good?
16.8/20, 89/100
Buy online: Frankland Estate website