2026 Rieslingfreak No. 4 Eden Valley Riesling

John Hughes' deep love of Riesling shines through once again in this superb Eden Valley release.

The 2026 No. 4 is sourced from selected vineyards across the southern ranges of Eden Valley, blending the elegance and acid drive of the High Eden subregion of Flaxman Valley with the intense flavour and rich aromatics of vineyards around Angaston and Springton. Like the rest of the range, this fruit weathered a testing vintage - a November frost, an extended dry stretch through summer, then a heavy rain event that pushed harvest back further still - and has come through with real purity and structure intact.

Where the No. 3 is all citrus and orchard fruit, this one leans floral and perfumed - there's a real lift of jasmine and rosewater on the nose, plus that classic Eden Valley scent of rain hitting warm slate. On the palate it's punchier and more tropical, with a fine mineral backbone running underneath, and the vintage's signature tightly wound acidity drawing everything out to a long, crisp finish. Elegant but not shy - it's got real drive to it.

Another deadset bargain for any Riesling lover from John & Belinda Hughes.

97 points
"The palate is high voltage with salivating acidity and underlying density and concentration of fruit that will unravel beautifully with age."
- Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)

95+ points
"It's taut, sleek and lip-smackingly sapid. The freak has done it again."
- Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"Quiet complexity in all this and a great sense of tension and energy. Right on. Pow. Rock the house."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)