2004 MadFish Riesling Reviews

“This is a stunning wine that is well worth seeking out. MadFish is made by the prestigious Howard Park winery in Western Australia. They have a switched on, highly passionate winemaker who knows how to make interesting and complex wines while maintaining fruit purity. This wine has an incredibly expressive nose of ripe tropical fruits. The palate has divine white stone fruit aromas and mouth-watering acidity. I urge you to buy this superb wine.”

Toni Paterson, Wine What to Drink 2006 - 01-01-2006
Full Review

“Delightful wine emerging here, some mineral and river-stone spine with quite generous riesling fruit, almost dry and opening up very well. Young wine, by late 2005 this will be drinking very well with afternoon nibbles, as an aperitif and with many fish courses. In a word: A youthful but delightful wine emerging, almost dry and with lovely river-stone characters. ”

, F&B Magazine New Zealand - 01-08-2005
Full Review

“Intense lime, herb and apple aromas; delicate yet intense; spotlessly clean; long and impeccably balanced citrussy fruit. Three trophies Western Australian Wine Show 2004, including Best White of the Show. Drink 2015. ”

95 Points
James Halliday , Australian Wine Companion 2006 - 01-08-2005
Full Review

“Riesling remains one of the two great value buys in Australian white wine (semillon?s the other) and MadFish 2004 Riesling, from WA?s Great Southern region, is a trophy-winner of real style and charm.”

Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald - 19-07-2005
Full Review

“In my view this is the best-value riesling on the market and not just because it collected three trophies at the Mount Barker Show. It?s pure, limey and it lingers long and dry on the palate”

Peter Forrestal, The Sunday Times - 10-07-2005
Full Review

“You want to know what fruit purity is? Take a look at the latest MadFish Riesling. Incredible pristine lime juice that is fresh and succulent on the mid-palate and lingers. It is fine and tightly structured and yet is vibrant, fleshy and dry. There is some restraint with complexing minerally notes ensuring that the finish shows sublime finesse and bright refreshing acidity. It won three trophies at the 2004 Qantas Mount Barker Wine Show of Western Australia: for Best White Wine, Best Riesling, as well as the Gladstones Trophy for the wine showing the most distinctive regional character. Not bad for a wine that sells for $18.00 a bottle. It?s sourced from the Porongurups and Mount Barker sub-regions of the Great Southern. Here?s hoping that Mike Kerrigan and the team from Howard Park?s MadFish label can repeat the dose in future years.”

Peter Forrestal, www.quaff.com.au - 20-06-2005
Full Review

“Super-pure smelling, with lavender, nettle, melon, and gentle florals. Plenty of zesty pithy flavour ? grapefruit and nettle ? plus chew and nuttiness. There?s a lot going on in here: bloody good.”

92 Points
Tim White, The Australian Financial Review - 06-05-2005
Full Review

“Another well priced Riesling?limey rather than lemony. ?it?s a great daytime drink, especially with fish dishes that feature lime and coriander.”

Greg Duncan Powell, - 09-04-2005
Full Review

“Top wine of the 2004 Mount Barker WA Wine Show, and amazing value for money. From the Howard Park stable, it is rich and fragrantly spicy, soft and slightly up-front for early drinking. It will also handle some ageing.”

Huon Hooke, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine - 19-03-2005
Full Review

“Western Australia?s Great Southern region has earned a reputation for classy Rieslings capable of matching it with the Clare and Eden Valley versions and Howard Park has long been one of the pacesetters. MadFish may be the company?s second label, but this wine was second to none among the whites at last year?s Mount Barker Show, where it picked up three trophies. Very obviously varietal with lemon and lime fruit enhanced with some floral fragrance and shot through with clean and refreshing ? almost tingling ? acidity. Huge value”

Paddy Kendler, The Herald Sun Melbourne - 01-03-2005
Full Review

“This is just about the find of the year. The label?s not new, of course, but it?s the first Riesling in the range. It?s a stunner. Lingering citrus and slightly spicy fruits with floral, mineral overtones. Outstanding value.”

Ray Jordan, The West Australian - 14-12-2004
Full Review

“Howard Park has come up with two glorious wines from the 2004 vintage ? the First Label Riesling (95 points) and an astonishing MadFish Riesling that topped its class at the Qantas Western Australian Wine show. The senior wine has spotlessly clean apple blossom aromas, with a lovely palate and an essence of sweet lime followed by a dry finish. It shows no ill effects from the screwcap, which will guarantee its development during the next 15 years.”

95 Points
James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Top 100 Wines - 20-11-2004
Full Review

“What a stunner this wine is. It?s a new one offering lingering citrus and slightly spicy fruits with a floral mineral overtone. Outstanding value. ”

Ray Jordan, The West Australian - 06-11-2004
Full Review

“It was one of those difficult decisions. The West Australian Wine Show in Mount Barker has an award called the John Gladstone's Trophy for the gold-medal wine with the best regional character?The prerequisite: the wine must be made from grapes of a single region. There were a dozen or so candidates, culled from the gold medal winners of the entire show of 1200 wines? The MadFish had the kind of citrus, slaty, mineral purity that typifies Great Southern Riesling, with all the delicacy you would want in a young Riesling yet with lovely softness for early drinkability. In the end, the Riesling won the Gladstone?s Trophy, on top of its other two trophies, for the best white wine and best ?04 Riesling? MadFish?s other big success was its '04 sauvignon blanc semillon, top gold medallist and trophy winner in a big class of sem/sav, the blend has become WA?s signature dry white? ”

Huon Hooke, The Sydney Morning Herald - Good Living - 24-10-2004
Full Review