Best’s Foudre Ferment Riesling 2025 is white jasmine, blossom and apricot on the nose with yellow stone fruits — fresh apricot, yellow peach, yellow nectarine, lychee, passionfruit sorbet, lime zest and lemon rind on the palate with citrus pip phenolics from skin contact giving outstanding texture, richness from residual sugar balanced by fresh acidity. Pale yellow with green hues. Great Western, Victoria. 11% alc. 750ml. Cellar 10–15 years.
“Left on skins for 24 hours, pressed and racked to two large oak casks, barrel fermentation, left on lees for five months. A wine that says ‘not only is it okay to place riesling in oak, but it can open up a wonderful world of flavour and texture’. Aromatic honeysuckle florals and exotic ginger and lemongrass aromas mingle with citrus, pear and apple. Builds on the palate oh-so delicately but deeply with a warm textural mouthfeel. Oak contributes to the umami and a leesy almond mealy-ness, while the purity of riesling fruit shines brightly. A stunner from a top vintage.”
97 Points — Jeni Port, Wine Companion (Published 5 February 2026)
Tasting Notes
Appearance
Best’s Foudre Ferment Riesling 2025 presents a pale yellow colour with green hues of exceptional clarity and Great Western cool-climate elegance — displaying the outstanding quality characteristic of aromatic Riesling juice given extended skin contact and wild fermented in large French oak foudre, one crafted by Marc Grenier in France and the other by the Schneckenleitner family in Austria, delivering complexity without overt oak flavour of enduring Best’s Great Western distinction.
Aroma
The nose is aromatic and immediately captivating, with white jasmine and blossom of exceptional floral purity and Great Western distinction, with apricot and yellow stone fruits of outstanding cool-climate vibrancy and genuine Best’s Foudre Ferment character. Aromatic honeysuckle florals and exotic ginger and lemongrass aromas mingle with citrus, pear and apple of rare complexity — a bouquet of outstanding aromatic richness and authentic Best’s Foudre Ferment Riesling distinction, reflecting both the complexities of barrel ferment and spontaneous fermentation without overt oak influence.
Palate
Fresh apricot, yellow peach and yellow nectarine of exceptional cool-climate freshness and Great Western distinction fill the front palate, followed by lychee, passionfruit sorbet, lime zest and lemon rind of outstanding aromatic complexity and genuine Best’s character. Citrus pip phenolics from skin contact give the wine outstanding texture — richness from residual sugar of 4.94g/L balanced with fresh acidity of enduring Foudre Ferment distinction. Builds on the palate oh-so delicately but deeply with a warm textural mouthfeel — oak contributing umami and a leesy almond mealiness, while the purity of Riesling fruit shines brightly.
Pairs With
This exceptional Best’s Foudre Ferment Riesling 2025 is a natural companion to classic fish and chips, yabbies in garlic butter, pan-fried halloumi with grilled nectarines, steamed mud crab or Thai green curry — where its jasmine, apricot, lychee, passionfruit sorbet and textural skin-contact phenolics deliver a Great Western Riesling experience of outstanding complexity, warmth and enduring Best’s Foudre Ferment distinction.
