Pooley Butcher's Hill Cane Cut Riesling 2024 (375ml)

Incredible balance and harmony within this luscious dessert wine, lifted jasmine, honeysuckle and citrus blossom are accompanied by caramelised apricot and lime peel on the nose. Lively aromas of lime, orange pith and almond await you on the palate.

Canes were cut on the 28th of March, Fruit was then hand-picked at 16.5 baume, whole bunch pressed to tank, juice was then put back on skins for 24 hours, pressed and repeated again. In total three press cycles to extract sugars, 5 months on lees prior to bottling.

Pooley Wines was first established in 1985 when Denis and Margaret Pooley planted vines on the banks of the Coal River in southern Tasmania. With seven rows of Pinot Noir and ten rows of Riesling planted on their 16-hectare farm at Cooinda Vale as a retirement plan, Denis and Margaret found a renewed vigour for life. A vineyard that started as nothing more than a distraction for Denis and Margaret soon flourished into a renowned premium cool-climate site.

With the help of their son and grandchildren, three generations of the Pooley family have continued to bring meticulous care to their Cooinda Vale vineyard. In 1989, Cooinda Vale’s unique microclimate and terroir yielded its first vintage with the quality and consistency of fruit, speaking to Margaret and Denis’s love and dedication shown to their property. Denis continued working in the vineyard until his passing in 1994.

In 2003, John Pooley and his wife Libby bought Belmont, a heritage-listed Georgian home on the outskirts of Richmond. Pooley Wines expanded their estate and established a second vineyard, Butcher’s Hill, with its first vintage produced in 2007.

Until the passing of Margaret Pooley in 2010, three generations of the Pooley family were working in the vineyards with John’s son, Matthew Pooley, taking on the responsibility as Viticulturist. With Margaret’s granddaughter, Anna Pooley returning to the family business in 2013, Pooley was made entirely by family hands from this point onward.

Now, more than 35 years after Pooley Wines was first established, the family’s philosophy of making wines that reflect their unique environment while pushing the quality of the grapes and the wines even further has continued.

2023 Winery of the Year Halliday Wine Companion

Dave Brookes - Halliday Wine Companion
94 / 100
Concentrated and heady cane-cut riesling. Mid-straw in the glass with notes of dried nectarine and apricot, citrus blossom, clover honey, grilled pineapple and mango, those wee lemon tarts, candied citrus fruits and sugarcane juice. Super heady and sweet but that acidity draws everything into line nicely, whooshing across the palate and leaving a vapour trail of candied citrus and stone fruits.

Stuart Knox - The Real Review
88 / 100
Medium intense straw yellow colour. Gardenia, lemon cake and candied lime zest nose. Sweet lemon and floral notes on entry. Has a richness from the barley sugar sweetness so it glides softly to a good length, but finishes without freshening tension to focus it.