The Noble Wrinkled Riesling
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically outstanding upon release, but easily cellared for 5 to 15 years, during which it develops complex notes of toast, marmalade, and beeswax.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, lemon tart, fruit-based desserts
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the imaginative portfolio of d'Arenberg, 'The Noble Wrinkled Riesling' is a luscious dessert wine that owes its existence to the magical intervention of Botrytis cinerea, or 'noble rot.' The name playfully describes the shriveled, dehydrated state of the Riesling grapes at harvest, which concentrates the sugars, acids, and flavors to an extraordinary degree. Hand-harvested from select vineyards in South Australia, the botrytis-affected grapes undergo a gentle pressing before a cool, slow fermentation. This painstaking process yields a nectar of remarkable complexity, balancing intense sweetness with the naturally vibrant, piercing acidity of Riesling. It is celebrated for its opulent aromas of candied citrus peel, dried apricots, honey, and exotic spices, representing a triumph of patience and natural alchemy in the vineyard.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, d'Arenberg stands as an iconic pillar of McLaren Vale viticulture, stewarded today by fourth-generation chief winemaker Chester Osborn. The estate spans undulating coastal landscapes influenced by the moderating maritime winds of the Gulf St Vincent, resting upon complex, ancient geologies ranging from calcareous Terra Rossa to sandy loam and weathered limestone. Viticulture is rigorous and certified organic and biodynamic across all estate-owned and leased vineyards. While renowned for formidable Rhone-style reds, d'Arenberg's white winemaking upholds identical artisanal rigor: gentle whole-bunch basket pressing ensures minimal phenolics and purity of expression. From the racy, textural The Money Spider Roussanne and crisp The Dry Dam Riesling to the lusciously layered botrytised expressions The Noble Semillon and The Noble Botryotinia Fuckeliana, the wines epitomize balance, crystalline minerality, and vibrant natural acidity.
🍇 Grapes
Riesling
🍷 ABV
9.5% - 10.5%