Wild & Wilder, The Courtesan Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2021

Producer Profile

Wild & Wilder is all about good clean fun. Working hand in hand with their merry (in a good season) band of growers, they craft wines of supreme quality but don’t take it all too seriously.

Great fruit, grown by great people and made with a lot of love by people that know that wine is all about the good times, delicious food and creating great memories. Founded by Giles Cooke MW & Fergal Tynan MW, who also make the Thistledown wines, the mundane is just not in their DNA. Being involved in every stage of the winemaking process from bud burst to bottle means that every bottle from Wild & Wilder is an experience you’ll want to try again.

Viticulture

Fruit was sourced from one vineyard in the Southern end of the Valley, close to Auburn. Mature vines and a moderate season combined to ensure that the yields were very low and fruit concentrated.

Winemaking

Vinification, as one might expect with good fruit, is very simple. The grapes are picked in the cool of the morning and rapidly transported to the winery where they are lightly crushed and sent to press. For the Courtesan, we retain only the purest, free-run juice. The wine is fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel to retain fruit profile and the finished wine is aged on its lees for 2-3 months before bottling.

Oak Ageing

No oak ageing

Tasting Note

The Courtesan is the epitome of good breeding. Wonderful posture, a delicacy of frame and a fragrance to haunt the most sated of olfactory functions. Behind closed doors though, the Courtesan shocks with its racy charms, flirting outrageously with “come drink-me” eyes. Don’t be fooled, The Courtesan means business. Capturing all the mouthwatering lime and elderflower character one expects from great Riesling, the Courtesan is a crisp, tangy and dry white wine with the typical Clare Riesling character of citrus, blossom and mineral hints. Deliciously juicy on the palate with wonderful, floral citrus fruit and mouthwatering freshness.

Food Matching

White fish, asian food that include ginger, lemongrass and coriander.

Awards

Decanter’s Eden & Clare Valley Riesling panel tasting. 93 Points.
Lemon oil and olive brine notes with guava and bergamot undertones. Creamy and biscuity on the palate, slippery and sensuous, with a long, juicy finish. 2022-2031. 93 Points, JK MW, RJ, JS, March 2022.