2025 O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling

96 POINTS

Jeni Port - Winepilot

If Polish Hill River represents the power of Clare Valley Riesling, Watervale represents the finesse, the purity. Nowhere is this better exhibited than in the 2025 vintage. While it was a challenging vintage, by all accounts, Riesling shone. It shows.  Bright, lime green hues. Classic Watervale scents, arrestingly aromatic and delicate in jasmine, wildflowers, bath salts, fresh lime and citrus skin and apple. An intensity of lime flavour lies at the wine’s core, a Watervale trait, in sync with florals. It’s a vibrant, alive palate with an easy textural flow in lime, green apple, pear skin, touch of rosemary, Thai basil and wet slate minerality. Finely textured with powdery fine acidity. Purity plus. This beauty will still be looking good in 10-15 years.

95 POINTS

Ray Jordan - Winepilot

This was an outstanding season in the Clare Valley region of South Australia, and this wine shows both the seasonal virtues and the expertise of these guys in producing some of the best Riesling in the land. On the nose, it strikes immediately with a mix of lemon and lime and some crazy floral notes. The palate, while slightly fleshy and showing deep and powerfully presented fruit, is lifted by those lemon and lime citrusy characters and a fine chalky acidity. There’s still a degree of tension here as you would expect in a wine only a few months after bottling, yet the power and the class are evident from the start. There’s a beautiful pure intensity here, and it’s a wine that drinks so well now but will handle extended cellaring.

95 POINTS

Mike Bennie - Halliday Wine Companion

Pretty classic stuff here, albeit you'd say this release is quite concentrated and potent in its fruit characteristics. Lemon-lime, sweet and tart at the same time, green apple, distinct blackcurrant notes, a little lemon oil and dashes of mandarin marmalade. Lots of talc here, too – powdery, lavender-like, and with a little bit of grip in texture. Nice one. Quietly complex. This should be singing with another year and onwards – and do wait if you can.

95 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

Yet another superb Watervale Riesling from a pair of specialists (they are pretty good at other wines, as well). Treatment is largely traditional. The colour is a very pale lemon. This is beautifully fragrant with notes of limes, spices, lemons, white jasmine, grapefruit and a touch of river stones. A veritable citrus smorgasbord. Fresh and aromatic with a line of fine acidity, there is exceptional length in this immaculately balanced effort plus focus and finesse. Expect it to provide superb drinking for at least the next fifteen years.

93 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

The nose is all lime and salted lemon but the palate introduces hay, pear skin, slate and crushed fennel. There’s good power to this release, good fruit, and some grip to the finish as well. It feels tight, which isn’t a bad thing at this early stage. This is a good release. There’s a whisper of reduction too, which works.

91 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

The 2025 Riesling Watervale is finely tuned with detailed, layered aromas of pear, wet stone and spice, fine and detailed. This is gently flavored with zesty acidity. The more approachable vintage will deliver enjoyment over the short to medium term.