2021 Ravensworth Riesling Ancestral

WINEMAKER: Bryan Martin
VARIETAL: Riesling
REGION: Murrumbateman, NSW
VITICULTURE: Organic

Granite bedrock, regional duplex: red loamy clay, wind-blown parna inclusions, three clones, 20 years old, northeast and south facing. Whole-bunch pressed to ceramic egg for a three-week wild ferment, then bottling toward the end. Aged on lees for six months before release.

As he tells it, Bryan Martin established Ravensworth in Murrumbateman with his partner Jocelyn and partner David in 2001 because “it seemed like a good idea at the time.” This former chef, restaurant critic, food writer and winemaker at Clonakilla is known for his emotional symbiosis with the region and his exceptionally good taste. And that’s the constant to Bryan’s wines: they express the region, and they taste good. Really good.

Everything at the Estate is grown with organic principles and the vineyard is consciously farmed as an element of a wider ecosystem in balance with other flora and fauna so it can develop to its greatest potential. This balance limits any chemicals or other nasties. A little old Italian tractor is employed rather than heavy machinery, and likewise in the cellar, the winemaking uses a light touch. There’s no recipe—a range of techniques and vessels are used, always dependent on what the vintage presents.