Vision, faith and patience—unreasonable doses of all three—are prerequisites for creating memorable wines. We’re constantly reminded of this. A couple of days ago, a notable German producer whose vineyard recently won recognition as a Grosse Lage (grand-cru site) told us he half-wished he could fast-forward a decade to when the GGs from this site had established a track record. At the same time, of course, he lamented the passing of the vintages as each one brought his journey nearer to the end.
That thought sheds light on the achievement of the Loosen Barry collaboration.
Vision? We remember like yesterday the moment when Erni Loosen and the Barry brothers, Tom and Sam, told us about their two-worlds-collude scheme: Clare Valley grapes grown and raised like their cousins in the Mosel. We recall just as clearly the thrill of tasting the first two vintages side-by-side, 2016 and ’17, the former coiled electric but needing time, the latter seamless and singing and released as a debut.
Faith? It was extremely ambitious and the wines were extremely good, but the world had to notice and care. In another groundbreaking step, we talked of the need for Australian Riesling to have its potential pushed, in quality and style, yes, but also respect. An untested $100+ asking price reflected its specialness and reset expectations.
Patience? Ernst Loosen visited the Wolta Wolta block in Clare in February in the run-up to the Barry family harvesting the grapes for the 11th vintage of Wolta Wolta. He and Sam Barry travelled interstate to show verticals of Wolta Wolta to members of the wine trade. Upon release, every edition of Wolta Wolta has received outstanding reviews that reflect its singularity—a Riesling that stands apart with its ripeness, vibrancy, texture and x-factor. The vertical tastings bore out both its distinction and distinctiveness; the mature wines were uniformly excellent and recognisable. The icing on the cake was the 2016, available here as a museum release.
If you needed liquid proof that the initial concept was exquisitely sound, 2016 provides it. Exhibit A. “A crackling and lively thing with spice and friskiness in tow,” wrote Mike Bennie earlier this month. And that other kind of proof, the track record for which there is no shortcut, no fast-forward button—the record that demands you keep the faith. In this case, we present the new-release 2023. “Shit yeah! This has it all,” wrote Bennie. Exhibit B.
We love wine for the surprises it brings. The Loosens and Barrys of this world plant roots, tend shoots, raise juices. We get to forget about it for a while, then taste and marvel anew. These bookends of a trailblazing project are sheer brilliance. Wolta Wolta is a thing—a wine to make ardent believers of the coldest-hearted sceptics who find vision, faith and patience hard to muster in the modern world.
The Project
When Peter Barry and Germany’s virtuoso winemaker Erni Loosen first met at the London Wine Fair in the mid-1990s, they immediately found a connection through their interest in the cause of Riesling and fine wine. A close and enduring friendship was established.
After the Riesling Downunder event in 2015, the Barry brothers imagined a collaboration where Erni and Tom would apply their winemaking techniques to each other’s fruit. It was envisioned that the wine would be based on Riesling planted in the elevated and cooler Spring Farm vineyard, which was previously a remnant of the historic Wolta Wolta horse stud.
Wolta Wolta was the first expression of this vision. WoltaWolta means ‘good water’ in the local Aboriginal Ngadjuri dialect, and this is reflected by the freshness, purity and minerality that Riesling brings when grown in slatey or siltstone sedimentary rock.
The grapes are handpicked at a higher maturity, the juice is pressed, settled overnight in stainless steel, and then wild-fermented in a German oak foudre before being left on gross lees in the same oak for 24 months. The extra two years of barrel ageing allow the wine to develop an extraordinary complexity.
Our experience with this wine inspired us to create a second wine under the LoosenBarry partnership: Slate Hill.
The name Slate Hill derives from the German Schieferhügel, evoking the steep slate slopes of the Mosel region and the distinctive terrain of our Wolta Wolta property in the Clare Valley, where the grapes are grown.
After 10 years of making Wolta Wolta, we began to understand how Australian- grown Riesling performs when aged on gross lees in oak. Naturally, we became curious about how the wine would evolve when aged on lees in stainless steel. Over several vintages, we observed a similar development in texture and flavour between the two wines, though Slate Hill retained more of its approachable, ripe stone fruit character, while Wolta Wolta leaned more savoury and complex.
At that point, we decided to expand the LoosenBarry offering. In February 2023, during Erni’s annual visit to Clare, we selected two additional blocks from our Wolta Wolta property with similar soil composition and exposure to the original Riesling block. Our aim was to craft a Riesling in the spirit of Wolta Wolta, but one that is more accessible and ready to enjoy.
The Vineyard
Originally a pastoral run dating back to 1839, Jim Barry purchased a parcel of land in the area known as ‘Wolta Wolta’ in 1977, as he was sure it would “produce some of the best Riesling in the Clare Valley.” Later renamed The Lodge Hill, it is situated 480 meters above sea level, on the eastern ranges of the Clare Valley on brown loam over clay and slate bedrock, which dates back roughly 900 million years. The vines are exposed to concentrated bursts of sunlight and cool nights, which encourages slower ripening. – Sam Barry
2023 LoosenBarry ‘Slate Hill’ Riesling RRP $40
100% estate grown Riesling. Alcohol 12.3%; total acid 7.7g/L; pH 3.0; RS 6g/L.
The name Slate Hill is derived from the German Schieferhügel, evoking the steep slate slopes of the Mosel region as well as the distinctive terrain of our Wolta Wolta property in the Clare Valley, where the grapes are grown. Our aim was to craft a Riesling in the spirit of Wolta Wolta, but one that is more accessible and ready to enjoy.
Fortuitously, 2023 turned out to be the perfect vintage to begin. It was the latest Riesling harvest we’ve had since the outstanding 2017 vintage, allowing for extended hang time and, in turn, enhanced aroma and phenolic maturity.
We harvested in the last week of March and followed a winemaking philosophy similar to Wolta Wolta. The fruit was destemmed, crushed, and pressed slightly harder than usual (to 560 litres per tonne), reflecting the phenolic maturity of the skins and our intention to enhance texture and fruit weight in the final wine.
After a light settling, the wine was allowed to ferment spontaneously in stainless steel. When the ferment reached around 10 g/L of residual sugar, it was chilled to arrest fermentation at 6 g/L. From there, it remained at 4°C on gross lees (with no stirring) for two years before bottling in May 2025.
Over this period, it was fascinating to watch the wine evolve—gaining texture and complexity while maintaining its vibrant, generous stone fruit character
A vibrant and expressive nose leads with white peach, guava, and lime curd, underpinned by green apple, kaffir lime, and a subtle flintiness. Hints of orange zest and almond meal add complexity, while delicate floral and herbal notes of pink lemonade, lemon verbena, and lemon thyme lift the aromatic profile. The palate opens with a generous wave of white peach and blood orange richness before being drawn taut by a fine line of grapefruit acidity and chalky texture. A savoury lick of green olive brine and wet chalk nuances contribute to the wine’s complexity, while the precision and balance create a teardrop-shaped flavour arc—generous on entry, narrowing to a long, focused finish. – Sam Barry, Tom Barry, Ernst Loosen
This carries 6g/L residual sugar, which is not much, just enough to give it some succulence. Spends two years in tank on gross lees (no stirring, which is perhaps unusual for an Australian).
Fruit from several blocks surrounding the Lodge Hill Block 18 designated for Wolta Wolta goes into stainless steel, rather than oak, for its maturation on lees. Effusive aromatic exoticism, jasmine and cumquat blossom, lime zest, coriander. A talcy fluffiness to it, like a jar of bath salts bumped from a bathroom shelf. 95 points. Nick Ryan, The Australian Feb 2026
Lots of perfume here, quite a potpourri thing happening, sweet green apple, lime and lemon sherbet. It’s juicy and flavoursome, fine powdery texture, pink grapefruit and lime leaf, a lively citrus tang to acidity, with a fragrant finish of excellent length and lime rind bite. Very good. It’s different to your average Clare, so that’s a feather in its hat too. 94 points. Gary Walsh, The Winefront July 2025
2023 LoosenBarry ‘Wolta Wolta’ Riesling RRP $100
100% single-vineyard Riesling. Alcohol 12.5%; total acid 7.4g/L; pH 3.11
The grapes are handpicked at a higher maturity, the juice is pressed, settled overnight in stainless steel, and then wild fermented in the German oak foudre before being left on gross lees in the same oak for 24 months. The extra two years of barrel ageing allow the wine to develop an extraordinary complexity.
Complex aromas of crème brûlée, crème anglaise, ripe peach, burrata salad and apricot kernel. Richly weighted with a fresh line of salinity. Flavours of candied lemon peel, lemongrass and honeydew melon. With its weighty and silken texture, the 2023 Wolta Wolta Riesling is lush with a very moreish finish.
Green tints. Amazing freshness and zest. Lime juice and slight yeastiness. Lively acidity that seems a touch higher than most vintages. Bright and incisive; high energy and real finesse. Tension, refinement, line and length. A beautiful wine indeed. It showed a different face today than when previously tasted. (Picked on March 20, a late harvest) 98 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review Jan 2026
Plush, fuller flavoured, set to mid weight, slippery, intense, slate and steel, lemon and lime, ginger and green almond. Crackling minerality, stony notes, savoury. Shit yeah! This has it all. In youth, the pucker and chew something else, otherworldly compared to rank and file riesling. Leafy herbal notes, blackcurrant, more to add to the shopping cart of descriptors. It’s all about energy and vibrancy and deliciousness. In the slot. Drink 2026–2035+. 96+ points. Mike Bennie, The Winefront Jan 2026
The 2023 Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Dry Riesling looks jarringly fresh and primary in the face of the older vintages tasted alongside here today. The season was cooler and wetter than the preceding six vintages, and it has yielded a wine of leanness and precision here. While the grace and complexity of the wine will not be revealed for some years yet, the material is embedded within the structure of the wine, and it remains impressive and exciting here. This is a superb wine, as they all are. The wine carries four to five grams of residual sugar and was matured on the gross lees (sans bâtonnage) for two years, followed by a year in bottle prior to release. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. 96+ points. Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate Apr 2026
Where classic Clare Riesling is fine detail viewed in tight focus, this is a deep and dazzling image projected through a kaleidoscope. Its “otherness” is aromatically evident. Mango skin, lemongrass, preserved lemon, tangy margarita rims and a smidge of sourdough starter. 96 points. Nick Ryan, The Australian Feb 202
2016 LoosenBarry ‘Wolta Wolta’ Riesling Museum Release RRP $165
100% single-vineyard Riesling. Alcohol 12.5%; total acid 7g/L; pH 3.0
A lifted and complex bouquet displaying lemon balm, white peach, and orange oil, layered with a subtle nuance of camembert rind and gentle spice tones that have developed from bottle age.
The palate is linear, driven, and tightly focused, carrying a fine thread of lanolin through the back palate. Cashew cream, orange oil, stone fruit, and delicate honeyed notes glide over a distinctly wet slate texture.
Very youthful colour for its age; also remarkably fresh on the nose, with lime juice and a whiff of lightly browned toast. The palate is delicate, intense, dry and long, with wonderful harmony. No reductive notes—which it apparently had when young. Very smart riesling, with years still ahead of it. (The first vintage of this wine, its release held back for the 10th anniversary.) 97 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review Feb 2026
The 2016 Loosen Barry Wolta Wolta Dry Riesling is going to be released for the first time this year, and what a time to release it—after two years on the gross lees in foudre and the following seven to eight years in bottle. The wine is remarkable. It is creamy, toasty and fresh, and the wine in the mouth exhibits a bell-like purity inherent to Riesling everywhere. This is concentrated and precise, with shaved fennel, some white pepper and white chocolate, pressed linen, crushed shells and salted preserved lemons. It’s a beauty. It has four to five grams of residual sugar, which feels imperceptible, save for the texture and balance in the mouth. Going forward, there will be a 10-year release each year—as this 2016 wine is being released in 2026—alongside the new release wine (which will always be three years after its harvest date). The aim of this is to show the freshness, ageability and complexity that comes with Riesling once it reaches full maturity. “It will then stay like that forever,” says Erni Loosen. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. 97 points. Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate Apr 2026
The first Wolta Wolta made, hitherto unreleased. It was deemed too withdrawn alongside the 2017, but has since evolved beautifully. Candied lime and nashi pear. A little anise spice. Supple texture, gentle fullness leaning into a crushed cashew creaminess. Graceful and unwavering acidity. 96 points. Nick Ryan, The Australian Feb 2026
This has gloss and shine, a slip and slide of lemon-lime, a sizzle of sherbetty, orangey tang in the midst, green apple, hazy, yes, and some cumquat and mandarin juice going on. It shows some gingery elements, a crackling and lively thing with spice and friskiness in tow. Yes, development, but metered. It’s in a great place. Drink 2026–2033. 95 points. Mike Bennie, The Winefront Jan 2026
