Loosen Barry Slate Hill Riesling 2024

“The LoosenBarry collaboration has always been about pushing Riesling beyond the familiar. Bringing together the Barry family’s deep connection to Clare Valley and Ernst Loosen’s generations of Riesling knowledge from the Mosel, the project began with Wolta Wolta—a wine inspired by traditional German techniques, interpreted through an Australian lens.  After a decade working together on Wolta Wolta, Slate Hill emerged as the natural next step. Conceived as a more approachable companion to Wolta Wolta, it carries the same spirit of experimentation and ambition, while placing greater emphasis on freshness, generosity and early drinking appeal.
The 2024 Slate Hill Riesling is bright and energetic, with lifted citrus, lime and floral notes moving into juicy white peach and just-ripe stone fruit. There’s generosity through the middle, balanced by lively acidity and a fine, chalky texture that keeps everything moving. A subtle savoury edge adds another layer without taking away from the purity and brightness of the fruit.  What makes Slate Hill so compelling is the meeting of two Riesling worlds: the brightness and drive of Clare Valley with the textural, savoury dimension that has become a hallmark of the LoosenBarry project. There’s plenty of fruit and immediate charm, but also depth and shape beneath it, finishing long, fresh and gently mineral.  Unmistakably Riesling, unmistakably Clare Valley, but viewed through a distinctly LoosenBarry lens.” Loosen Barry