Paul Cluver, Elgin (South Africa) Riesling 2017

 As the cliché goes, I’ve got good news and bad news.  The good news is that this is an extremely tasty wine, with an overtly sweet profile but good balance thanks to zesty acidity that freshens the finish.  The bad news is that this exemplary producer has discontinued making a dry Riesling, which was a fantastic wine that could give the best dry Rieslings from Australia a run for their money (and though those Aussie wines are not widely know, those who are familiar with them know that they can be spectacularly complex and long-lived).  I managed to avoid weeping openly when told this by Paul Cluver, but just barely.  Considering this wine solely on its own merits, it is very showy, with expressive aromatics and gorgeously juicy fruit.  You can take it to a BYOB Thai restaurant with great success, which is some consolation for the loss of the Cluver Dry Riesling, which you could take anywhere.