Riggs&Wiggs

Written By Angus Hughson

Iain Riggs AM – or ‘Riggsy’ as he is better known - is a ‘living legend’ in the Hunter Valley with a massive reputation for his successful winemaking career and his longstanding contribution to the local community and the Australian wine industry. But I knew him well before he became an industry doyen. In February 1984, I turned up at Brokenwood’s doorstep as the winery’s first intern. I arrived just as the wiry and energetic Iain Riggs was about to jump into his bashed-up old ute to take samples from the nearby Graveyard Vineyard. Invited to accompany him, I found myself running in his wake at full speed, occasionally stopping in the rows to chew some grapes and check the sugar levels. When studying viticulture at Roseworthy Agricultural College, nobody had told me that sampling was an athletic hurdling sport!

Around this time Brokenwood was crushing about 100 tons of wine grapes. It had just expanded its winemaking activity to include white wine and Iain Riggs had moved up to the Hunter Valley just 18 months before to energise and professionalise winemaking.  Previously founders and lawyers James Halliday, Tony Albert and John Beeston had lumbered and muddled their way through vintage, occasionally drawing on the experience of local winemakers for guidance. But in 1984 the partnership had already expanded to include other investors and enthusiasts including marine biologist Nick Bullied, an amateur winemaker whose technical proficiency was of immense usefulness. He later became a Master of Wine and wine industry stalwart of significant influence. Iain Riggs was not short of advisors and opinionisers. Amongst them were people like the Late Len Evans OBE who profoundly shaped industry outlooks. Part of Iain Riggs’ talent, however, was listening to them all, but heeding his own intuition and advice.

Iain Riggs won a reputation for being focused, unflappable and generous with his time. During subsequent years, Brokenwood became a ‘working school’ for young aspiring winemakers and many of them have since become leading figures in the wine industry.  Meanwhile Riggs’ defining semillons and stylish shirazes have significantly contributed to the story of modern Hunter Valley wines. Brokenwood’s ILR Semillon is a benchmark style, while the sought-after Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, regularly sells out at $500 a pop. The 1986 vintage, considered as one of the greatest Australian wines of the era, would achieve a lot more than that today.

After four decades of steering Brokenwood through the ups and downs of vintage, Iain Riggs is now pursuing a post-career winemaking project with neighbouring vigneron  Peter Wiggs, a finance wizard who acquired the historic Cote d’Or property in 2014. This site, on the dreamy foothills of the Brokenback Ranges, was formerly one of the Hunter Valley’s great early vineyards but rapid decline between the First and Second World Wars saw the land being returned to dairying country.  Established by vigneron Alfred Wilkinson, previously a lieutenant in the 33rd Regiment of the Madras Infantry, the original Cote D’Or Vineyard had achieved considerable fame during the 1880s and 1890s. At this time the Wilkinson family’s Cote d’Or, Mangerton, Oakdale, Maluna and Coolalta vineyards formed a contiguous band of vineyards over the corrugation of foothills. It must have been quite a sight for visitors. Old black-and-white photographs depict a scene reminiscent of Burgundy. The wines were widely celebrated in the colonial markets and beyond.

At the Cote d’Or property, on De Beyer’s Road, the original 1890s concrete open fermenters still exist like an oversized bar of Cadbury chocolate. It’s all that remains of a much bigger winery. A few of these surviving 12 x 5 tonne vats have been renovated, wax-lined and recommissioned for the Riggs& Wiggs Old Vat Project. It must be almost 100 years since red wine has been vintaged at the Cote d’Or Vineyard. Although the original vines were destroyed somewhere around the late 1930s, the 1971 shiraz-plantings are valuable heirloom material from nearly 55-year-old vines.  

Inspired by history, Iain Riggs and Peter Wiggs, have reimagined early Hunter Valley visions by sourcing small parcels of low-yielding high-quality grapes and making table wine with traditional hands-on winemaking techniques. With Iain Riggs involved, it is no surprise that white winemaking is at the forefront of this venture. The semillon is based on the Drayton Family’s Bull Paddock Vineyard (with surviving vines going back to 1899) and the chardonnay (P58 clone) is sourced from the neighbouring Mangerton Vineyard’s 1978 plantings.  Meanwhile select parcels of the Cote d’Or Vineyard’s Shiraz are employed to make a classical medium bodied style.

In addition to the Hunter Valley releases, the Riggs&Wiggs portfolio also includes wines made from  Peter Wiggs’ Cullarin Vineyard at Lake George near Canberra. This estate was previously established in 1971 by entomologist Dr Edgar Riek who was the founder of the National Wine Show and one of the early pioneers the Canberra Wine District, which also included John Kirk (Clonakilla) and Ken Helm (Helm Wines).

A shout out also to the lovely Sam Hughes Amber Semillon, a tribute wine to the Late Sam Hughes, a key proponent of Australia’s natural wine movement. He is still sorely missed by his friends but his creative spirit continues to inspire winemakers throughout the country.

2024 Riggs & Wiggs Mangerton Vineyard Semillon, Hunter Valley – New South Wales

Pale colour. Lovely pure grapefruit, lemon curd aromas with camomile notes. Fresh lemon curd, grapefruit flavours, fine looseknit/ lacy textures, attractive mid-palate volume and superb mineral cut. Al dente fresh at the final. Gorgeous minerality and freshness. Should continue to develop more richness with age, but drinking well now. Drink now – 2030+ 11.5% alc 95 points

 

2024 Riggs & Wiggs Mangerton Block 1 Semillon, Hunter Valley – New South Wales

Pale colour. Fresh lemon curd, tonic water, herb garden aromas with touch verbena. Generously concentrated and textured with voluminous lemon curd, tonic water, grapefruit, hint waxy flavours, lovely dense chalky/ al dente textures and well-integrated fresh mineral acidity. Finishes dry and long. A masterclass in Hunter Valley Semillon. Delicious. From 1978 heritage plantings derived from 1899 vines. 11.5% alc Drink now – 2035 98 points

 

2024 Riggs & Wiggs Mangerton Vineyard Chardonnay, Hunter Valley – New South Wales

Pale colour. Limes, mandarin, hint ginger waxy aromas. Concentrated and minerally with ample mandarin, white peach flavours, some waxy marzipan notes and fresh crisp linear acidity. Drink now – keep for a while.  12.5% alc 93 points

 

2024 Riggs & Wiggs Mangerton Vineyard Sam Hughes Amber Semillon, Hunter Valley – New South Wales

Pale colour and slightly cloudy. Limes, marmalade, tonic water, verbena aromas with lifted wax varnish notes. Generous, richly flavoured and complex with marmalade limes, stonefruit, verbena flavours, fine al-dente, pithy textures, lovely mid palate volume/ richness and fresh juicy and long acidity. Bittersweet at the finish. Very textural and appealing. Brilliantly done. A great introduction to ‘natural wine’ philosophy. An homage to the Late Sam Hughes. Drink now – soon. 11.5% alc 95+ points

 

2025 Riggs & Wiggs Cote Vineyard OVP Shiraz, Hunter Valley – New South Wales

Medium colour. Lovely redcurrant, raspberry, hint dark chocolate aromas with herb/ light pepper notes. Generous, smooth and velvety with beautiful pure raspberry pastille, dark chocolate flavours, fine chocolaty textures and plentiful juicy acidity. Touch of aniseed at the finish. While medium bodied, there is density and gentle vigour. Drinking well now but an extra six months of bottle age will allow elements to settle. Co-fermented with 5% Semillon. 11% new French oak. 13.5% alc 95 points

 

2024 Riggs & Wiggs Cullarin Vineyard Lake George Chardonnay, Canberra District – New South Wales

Pale colour. Intense grapefruit, lemon curd, grilled nut, hint marzipan, vanilla aromas. Creamy textured with smoke grapefruit, lemon pastille flavours, inserting nougat/ vanilla notes, lacy textures and crisp long acidity. Builds up chalky al dente at the finish. Classical in proportions with lovely mineral freshness. Drink now – keep for a while. 12.5% alc 94 points

 

2024 Riggs & Wiggs Cullarin Vineyard Shiraz, Canberra District – New South Wales

Medium deep colour. Pure cherry, raspberry aromas with hints of chinotto and spice. Fresh juicy red currant, raspberry fruits, fine lacy tannins and under savoury notes. Finishes chalky and long. Quite Rhônish in style. Bittersweet finish. Early drinking style. Drink now – 2030+ 14% alc 93 points

Angus Hughson
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