O'Leary Walker Polish Hill River Reisling 2025 x 12
Product Description
Pale straw in colourwith green hues. Lifted aromas of perfume, musk, wet slate, citrus blossoms, crushed oyster shells. Intense and elegant on the palate, with very fine structure. Mid-palate fruit richness, balanced by taut acid and a graceful, lingering finish.
NASAA certified organic grown and made, it is the slate soils where our Polish Hill River Riesling vines thrive that mark the point of difference to our Watervale style, which is grown on limestone.
The 2025 vintage, shaped by a particularly dry growing season with just half the average rainfall, has produced a wine of remarkable intensity and powerful early fruit expression. 100% ferment in stainless steel tanks, it has a prolonged finish, accented with fresh flavours. 2025 also marks 25 years of Riesling produced by O’Leary Walker — a milestone that celebrates both heritage and finesse.
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'One of the finest yet under this label.'
96 Points
This exceptional wine from an exceptional vintage shows a clear distinction between it and the Watervale version from the same year. This one sort of moves into more floral bath salts characters while retaining that perfume floral note that is typical of the region. There’s a wet, pebbly, crunchy feel here with the citrus notes evident throughout. There’s even a little of that musk lolly character that we might have had as kids, but is subtle and understated. This is complex and superbly presented. One of the finest yet under this label.
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'A stunning Riesling...'
96 Points
“Coming from vines planted back in the 1970s, the OLW Polish Hill River Riesling tends to be the formal, and perhaps slightly austere of the pair. Always elegant, it offers even greater ageing potential. The colour is a near invisible shadow of yellow, as pale as one could imagine. A powerful style with a minerally backing, there are notes of citrus, grapefruit pith, a touch of river stones and oystershells, lemon curd, spices and florals. A steely line of acidity runs the length. The wine has focus and energy and a very long future. A stunning Riesling which will easily provide pleasure for the next twenty years.”
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'Concentrated, elegant, with power to burn.'
95 Points
Concentrated, elegant, with power to burn. Polish Hill River brings its A Game to a year that brought its challenges and brushes them aside in a display of quiet assurance. Fruit is fresh and nicely elevated in Polish Hill River spice. Stewed spiced apple, ruby grapefruit, pear skin, papaya, white pepper and a stony mineral edginess on the palate holds the promise of budding complexity. It’s early days but the beginnings are there, together with textural appeal that is still developing. Acidity is super charged and bright finishing with a green apple tartness to close. It’s a big lasting finish and impression for a wine that so excites from first to last.
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'Taut, concentrated and expressive...'
95 Points
Taut, concentrated and expressive, this O'Leary Walker Polish Hill River Riesling continues to fly the flag as an excellent expression of the variety. The trademark slatey and minerally drive that these Polish Hill River Rieslings take centre stage, but there is a lifted prettiness I'm savouring. Sourced from an organically farmed vineyard, green apples and lime juice are right at home as citrus flowers chime and bath salts add fragrance. A lively grapefruit thread runs the length of the palate underpinned by a fine talc-like texture. Dangerously silky, it seizes up on close and that tension demonstrates its age-ability. The kind of tonic for a long, rough week, one or two glasses at wine o'clock will make the pressures of the world feel lighter.
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'This puts on a powerhouse display...'
94 Points
“This puts on a powerhouse display. Rocks, limes, hay, plenty of texture, some grip, a keen juiciness through the finish, lots of goodness. Whispers of fennel and more-than-whispers of wet slate in the aftertaste. Dry in a good way. Like this a lot.”
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'A delicate wine with tension and refinement...'
93 Points
“Very light green-ish yellow hue; the aromas are fresh and youthful, restrained and pristine, with lemon pith, lime leaf and steely mineral overtones. Juicy in the middle then crisp and refreshingly clean on the finish. A delicate wine with tension and refinement, and long ageing potential.”
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'Crackling and energetic...'
92 Points
“Crackling and energetic, a cavalcade of citrus fruits with a distinct Japanese citrus fruit bent. Texture almost sits in that crystalline zone but for the light juiciness that emerges with time in the glass. A bit of curious lanolin character in here, a green wood sap tone, a kind of pretty, rosehip note, some frangipani in the mix, too. Quite high-toned here. It feels a little diffuse in its personality right now, a bit pale, so do give it time to flesh out and settle a bit to see further enhancement.”
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