The 2022 Rieslingfreak No. 44 remains one of the best dry Riesling values we have found, and don’t let the modest price fool you; this is a genuinely great bottle! John Hughes founded Rieslingfreak in 2009 with a singular focus on the variety, and No. 44 brings together fruit from three elevated vineyards between Eden Valley and Flaxman Valley, where cool conditions and stony soils give the wine excellent freshness and mineral definition. Fermented in stainless steel, the 2022 shows classic Eden Valley character with lime, lemon, white flowers, and subtle spice over the region’s distinctive talc-like minerality. It is bright, dry, and energetic, but it has enough depth and structure to be much more than a simple everyday Riesling. This is exactly the kind of bottle that overdelivers for the price and pairs with a wide range of foods, from seafood and roast poultry to spicy dishes and holiday spreads. It is also a great bottle to have around for Thanksgiving and the broader holiday season—refreshing, versatile, and easy to open for just about anyone. We are down to the last bottles at this price, and it remains one of the strongest white-wine values we have right now!

Wine Advocate (Erin Larkin) 93+ points! "The fruit for this 2022 No. 44 is from a selection of growers in Eden Valley: Springton, Flaxman Valley and Eden Valley. This is soft and talc-y, close to plump but not quite there. It carries the line and form of Eden Valley (that is to say, crushed rock austerity, lime/lemon zest and loads of spring flowers), but it has additional inflections of lavender, Golden Delicious apples and star anise. Lovely."