Vanguardist - Le Marx Riesling 2024

Refreshing, mineral driven Riesling from South Australia. 

Crisp on the nose, with saline-stoniness supported by citrus and subtle florals. The fruit opens up on the palate, with lime, grapefruit, and touch of green apples, accompanied by brine salinity and a chalky minerality, and a gentle, savoury nuttiness. Medium bodied with fresh stony acidity, that runs right through to the finish.

NERD NOTES

NAME: Named with a playful nod to the vineyard’s owner, Ben Marx, "LE MARX" pays tribute to the long-standing friendship between Ben and Michael, who studied Oenology together in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. With the Marx family still deciding on an official name for the vineyard, we took the liberty of creating our own.

VINEYARD: Located in a picturesque Clare Valley within the subregion of Polish Hill, the terraced vineyard (top of the property sitting at approx 550m above sea level) is home to vines re-planted in 1985 after Ash Wednesday swept through the Valley. Alluvial gravel with Terra Rossa over a marbled Polish Hill clay calcareous subsoil.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW: The 2024 vintage brought both challenges and rewards, resulting in wines with vibrant freshness and intense flavors. A dry winter and early spring led to advance budburst, followed by a wet period that replenished soil moisture before the dry summer and autumn. Riesling ripened early, showcasing classic varietal precision and restraint.

HARVEST & VINIFICATION:
Harvest Date: Hand-picked in the cool morning hours of February 26.
Crushing: Foot-crushed as whole bunches and held cold for 8 hours before pressing.
Fermentation: Roughly racked into a 900L egg-shaped vessel for natural fermentation at temperatures between 10-13°C.
Post-Fermentation: Transferred to a 600L egg with gross lees, where natural malolactic fermentation occurred during the winter months.
Aging: Left on lees for 6 months before being carefully racked and bottled with a minimal addition of sulphur. No fining or filtration was used.