Penna Lane Watervale Riesling 2024

Watervale is considered the premium sub-region within Clare Valley, known for producing some of Australia's most elegant and age-worthy Rieslings. The cooler climate and unique soil composition in Watervale creates wines with exceptional minerality and slate characteristics, which you'll find in this Penna Lane bottling. These wines typically show more restraint and finesse compared to the broader Clare Valley style, with that distinctive lime cordial character balanced by floral complexity.

Clare Valley Rieslings are renowned for their exceptional ageing potential, often developing beautifully for 10-15 years or more. This single vineyard expression from Watervale has the structure and acidity to evolve gracefully, transitioning from its current fresh lime and floral profile to develop honeyed, toasty notes while maintaining that signature minerality. The fact it's already winning major trophies suggests it has the balance and concentration for long-term cellaring.

A 97-point score from Wine Pilot places this Riesling in truly exceptional territory, indicating near-perfect execution of varietal character and regional expression. This score, combined with multiple trophies at the Clare Valley Wine Show including Best Wine of Show, suggests the wine demonstrates outstanding complexity, balance, and typicity. Such high scores for a current vintage Riesling are relatively rare and indicate this wine represents exceptional value for its quality level.

The 'Mofo Fave' rating indicates this wine has been specially selected by the team at Mojo Wine for its exceptional quality and value proposition. This designation is only given to wines that demonstrate outstanding character, represent their region beautifully, and offer genuine excitement for wine lovers. Given Penna Lane's reputation as a 'Mofo-fave producer', this suggests consistent quality and a house style that resonates with discerning Australian wine enthusiasts.

The fresh, mineral-driven profile with lime cordial notes makes this Riesling incredibly food-friendly, particularly with Asian cuisines where the wine's natural acidity cuts through spice and richness. Classic pairings include fresh seafood, particularly oysters and white fish, while the wine's generosity and soft palate also complement lighter poultry dishes and fresh salads. The minerality and slate characteristics make it excellent with goat's cheese and herb-crusted dishes.