CH’NG Poh Tiong
Congratulations to HATCH Rieslings!
Hatch Watervale Clare Valley Riesling 2023 won Gold Medal at The Global Riesling Masters 2024 by The Drinks Business, while Hatch Flaxman’s Eden Valley Riesling 2023 won Silver Medal!
The two wines are Tyson Stelzer’s TOP 250 Australian Wines & TOP 30 Rieslings 2024 with scores of 94 points and 93 points respectively.
Chris Hatcher is one of Australia’s most influential wine luminary. At one time, he was Chief Winemaker of Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Wynns, Coldstream Hills, Saltram, Pepperjack, Seppelt, Devils Lair, Rosemount, Lindeman’s and St Huberts
Chris Hatcher is a part of Australian wine aristocracy.
His maternal grandfather, Alf Vesey, started work at Penfolds in 1883. And stayed for 69 years. Vessey was Penfolds’ first Master Winemaker, a position he held for almost 50 years.
During his tenure, Alf Vesey mentored his young assistant in the school of winemaking and the art of blending. That winemaker was Max Schubert, who would go on to make Penfolds Grange.
The most seminal chapter of Chris Hatcher’s wine odyssey was written in 1987 when, following nearly five years at Kaiser Stuhl and eight at Orlando, Wolfgang Blass asked a young Hatch to join him at his eponymous label.
That was the start of 35 years of winemaking which later became Treasury Wine Estates.
In 1996, Hatcher was arguably Australia’s most influential wine luminary when he became Chief Winemaker for some of Down Under’s most well-loved wines including Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Wynns, Coldstream Hills, Saltram, Pepperjack, Seppelt, Devils Lair, Rosemount, Lindeman’s and St Huberts.
His premier position in Australian winemaking notwithstanding, Chris Hatcher is one of the most unimaginably down-to-earth blokes. There are no airs about him even if his presence is very tangible. Which is that of a very dignified, yet very approachable, person. There are few, if any, more stand-out persons in Australian wine.
Following his retirement, Chris Hatcher started his own eponymous brand. Australians have perfected shortening names to a fine art. Tasmania, for example, is Tassy. It’s no surprise, therefore, that HATCH WINES was born out of the South Australian’s name.
Hatch Watervale Clare Valley Riesling 2023
Very pale, almost colourless. Which points to how very youthful this Riesling is, and which translates to great ageing potential. The maiden vintage (as with the following three wines), Flaxman’s Valley is a subregion of Eden Valley located almost 250 metres above the Barossa floor on the eastern slopes of the Barossa Ranges. Small white flowers, minerally, young green/yellow citrus, zesty, and very intense. Lean, pristine, and persistent. Tensioned and taut. Very balanced. On screwcap.
Hatch Flaxman’s Eden Valley Riesling 2023
As with the Eden Valley Flaxman’s Riesling, just as pale and almost colourless. Which, again, points to how very youthful this is, translating to great ageing potential. Watervale, which rises to 390/400 metres above sea level is a subregion of Clare Valley. The high altitude and cooling breezes from Gulf Saint-Vincent allows a long drawn out ripening that results in Riesling of a very tall order indeed. Riper and rounder citrussy fruit than Flaxman’s. More generosity and vinosity on the mouthfeel and palate. Feminine, elegant, and utterly beguiling.
