2022 Brash Higgins R/SM Riesling Semillon

JAMES SUCKLING TOP 100
Brash Higgins |McLaren Vale |White Field Blend
Blistering release of this unique McLaren Vale white blend, made from Riesling (R) and Semillon (SM).
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
2 Reviews

Price:
Sale price$42.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

The R/SM is Brash Higgins' single vineyard "field blend" of two of the most underrated white varieties in the country: Riesling and Semillon.

The two varieties are dry grown side by side on a tiny vineyard in the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale. They're picked on the same day, basket pressed and co-fermented in old French barriques. These two varieties strike a remarkable balance and harmony.

It's the ultimate summer wine, refreshing and mouth wateringly delightful. It'll keep you coming back for more.

94 points
"Meyer lemon, candied ginger, some Comte cheese in there, sea spray and light fino characters, a lick of pleasing white balsamic lift. Ohh, this gets going and keeps on. It’s a persistent, near palate staining expression of these varieties, and just darn delicious. Agua caliente indeed."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

95 points & Top 100 Australian Wines of 2024
"This is frequently among the more intriguing white wines of Australia. Textural, intense of flavor and yet, almost subliminal in terms of refinement... Scintillating length, to boot. From biodynamically grown grapes."
- Ned Goodwin MW (JamesSuckling.com)

95 points - "This is frequently among the more intriguing white wines of Australia. Textural, intense of flavor and yet, almost subliminal in terms of refinement. By that I mean that it is so easy to drink and yet each draw of air, peels away layer after layer until one is left with the impression of precision, depth and a chameleonic complexity that belies the gulpability. Rooibos, lime slushy and preserved lemon, muddled with skin-inflected notes of ginger, quince, dried straw and camphor. Fuller-weighted with the breadth of barrel fermentation only adding appeal. Scintillating length, to boot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold briefly. Screw cap." - Ned Goodwin MW (JamesSuckling.com)

94 points - "Riesling and semillon. Saddlebags Hill Vineyard in McLaren Vale, planted 1975. Co-fermented, wild fermented, co-wilded.

It’s quite a meaty white wine, a textural white of course, and that meatiness doesn’t mean actual meat, more the texture is plush and yet tense on its outskirts, a nice feeling overall. The flavours and aromas are very pulpy, all the sweeter grapefruit, Meyer lemon, candied ginger, some Comte cheese in there, sea spray and light fino characters, a lick of pleasing white balsamic lift. Ohh, this gets going and keeps on. It’s a persistent, near palate staining expression of these varieties, and just darn delicious. Agua caliente indeed." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 2 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 2 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
2 reviews
  • MD
    Matthew D.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Why isn't this blend seen more often

    Don't think I've ever seen a riesling semillon blend before but have had a lot of their other wines and never been disappointed. Make sure you don't chill this too much - should be cool not cold or you'll lose most of what makes it great!

  • PT
    Peter T.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Interesting. Delicious

    I’ve bought a few vintages of this wine and it’s always been great. 2020 is the best to date.

Reviews LoadedReviews Added

A ‘field blend’ is an ensemble of different grapes from one vineyard block that are picked on the same day and fermented together, making a unique wine of place or a ‘vin de terroir’. Our version is from a sandy, elevated site along the far eastern foothills of the Blewitt Springs sub-region in McLaren Vale. Here one acre of Riesling (70%) and Semillon (30%), planted in 1975 by a German farmer, grow cheek by jowl. Picked on the same day, these unusual bedmates spend a couple days on skins together before being basket pressed then co-fermented wild in trusty French barriques. This bright white wine has all the emerald exuberance of Riesling cut with the lemony flesh of Semillon. Great summer drinking, and a riot with oysters, we are proud that this wine tastes like a true coastal white; its origins a mere 20 km from the Gulf of St. Vincent.

“Star bright in the glass, with moss, lemon zest, peach kernel, toasted grain and hybrid tea rose on the nose. Mouthwatering ocean breeze and a sappy, juicy abundance of fresh lime and white peach juiciness on the silken palate. The finish is transparent to a veritable carpet of mineral matter – albeit a levitating, vibrantly undulating one! Crushed stone, alkali, mineral salts and iodine combine with herbal and protein-rich flavours for something approximating a blend of oyster liquor and clam stock that set the salivary glands to palpitating.”- Brad Hickey, Vinitor, September 12, 2022

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety White Field Blend
Country Australia
Region McLaren Vale
Australian State SA
Feature Natural/Lo-Fi
High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
James Suckling
Critic Score 94
95
Alcohol 14%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Screw Cap

Brash Higgins

Brash Higgins is the label of winemaking American-turned-honorary-Aussie, Brad Hickey.

In his former life, Hickey was one of America's top sommeliers, working for many years crafting some of New York's finest wine lists. He came to Australia and fell in love with McLaren Vale and local vigneron Nicole Thorpe, with whom he now produces highly characterful, minimalist wines from their much loved Omensetter vineyard.

Hickey's wines are extremely expressive. They fall in two camps - the wines sourced from Omensetter vineyard and those sourced from friends around the Vale and the warm, dry Riverlands.

Brad Hickey AKA Brash Higgins - McLaren Vale, SA Brash Higgins

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