Pewsey Vale : The Contours Riesling Museum Reserve 2017

Characteristics and tasting advice for The Contours Riesling Museum Reserve 2017 from Pewsey Vale

Tasting

Color
The wine shows a pale straw-yellow hue with characteristic green highlights.

Nose
The bouquet reveals classic aromatic intensity, dominated by notes of fresh lemons and white flowers. After seven years of bottle aging, tertiary aromas gradually emerge: toast, clove oil, and lemongrass, reflecting the wine’s graceful evolution.

Palate
On the palate, the wine delivers great length and remarkable depth. Concentrated, fresh lime juice blends harmoniously with notes of toasted brioche, sage oil, and lime marmalade. The finish is marked by a gentle, refreshing natural acidity.

Food pairing

This Riesling is an ideal match for five-spice glazed duck breast. It also pairs perfectly with tofu Pad Thai, finished with fresh lime wedges.

Serving and cellaring

The The Contours Riesling Museum Reserve 2017 will continue to evolve gracefully over many years.

A matured Riesling from Eden Valley: Full-bodied and beautifully lively

The estate

Founded in 1847 by Joseph Gilbert, the Pewsey Vale estate holds the distinction of being the first winery to plant Riesling in the Eden Valley region of Southern Australia. Acquired in 1970 by the Hill-Smith family and integrated into the S. Smith and Son group, the estate comprises a single plot reminiscent of the famed Clos Vougeot and, at an altitude of 480 to 500 meters, is entirely dedicated to Riesling. Under the leadership of Chief Winemaker Louisa Rose, Pewsey Vale carries on its pioneering legacy and has established itself as a global benchmark for Australian Riesling thanks to its historic vines and sustainable viticulture.

The vineyard

The Contours Riesling comes from a single plot of old vines located on the estate’s coolest slope in the Eden Valley region. This south-facing vineyard benefits from shallow, sandy soils interspersed with quartz and slate gravel, which give the wine its distinctive minerality.

The vintage

Winter and spring were rainy, allowing optimal replenishment of soil water reserves. Spring and early summer saw mild temperatures below the seasonal average, encouraging long, even ripening of the grapes. These ideal conditions enabled the estate teams to make harvest decisions at the optimal time. Late summer and autumn brought warm, dry days punctuated by cool nights, resulting in fruit aromas of remarkable purity while preserving excellent acidity. Harvest took place on March 23 and 24, 2017.

Winemaking and aging

The Contours Riesling Museum Reserve 2017 was vinified in stainless steel tanks with spontaneous fermentation using wild yeasts. This wine from Southern Australia then aged for seven years in bottle before its release in 2024, developing its tertiary aromatic complexity.

Grape variety

This Australian white wine is 100% Riesling.