Winemaker Notes
Pale straw with lime green hues. Lifted and fragrant aromas of citrus florals, frangipani, finger lime and kaffir lime leaf, with hints of bath salts and green peppercorn. Excellent flavor intensity showing concentrated citrus flavors of lime juice and Meyer lemon, supported by minerality and crispness for an incredibly long and dry finish.
Pair alongside Crumbed King George Whiting, yoghurt tartare, or herb salad.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The latest vintage of “Julius” is vibrant, pristine and unmistakably Eden Valley. The perfume is bright and fruity, with fresh lime, orange peel, fennel and talcum powder aromas, along with a ginger scented hand soap character. The mouthfeel is silky yet powdery, like baby powder on newborn skin, lifted with crystalline acidity. A long lime and orange finish makes taking another sip an easy endeavor. Drink now or cellar for added layers of honeyed complexity until 2030
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Decanter
Bright, elegant perfumed floral and lime aromas lead to a zesty saline palate laced with fresh, pithy grapefruit.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Higher in elevation and topographically more dramatic than the Barossa Valley floor, Eden Valley abuts it to its south and east. While it is a bit of an extension of Barossa, Eden Valley is topographically different than the pastoral Barossa Valley, and is composed of rocky hills and eucalyptus groves.
Recognizing Eden Valley’s potential with Riesling in the 1960s and 70s, producers started to move their Riesling production from Barossa to these better sites where schist soils on hilltops would produce more steely, tart and age-worthy examples. A most famous site, planted by Colin Gramp, called Steingarten, today produces one of the most outstanding Australian Rieslings. Youthful Eden Valley Rieslings express floral, grapefruit and mineral, while with time in the bottle, they become increasingly toasty and complex.
Riesling isn’t the only grape the region can grow; undeniably at lower altitudes Shiraz does very well. Mount Edelstone is a notable vineyard as well as the Hill of Grace, which boasts healthy Shiraz vines well over 100 years old. This is the only Australian region where Merlot has a made a name for itself and Chardonnay can be spectacular, particularly from the High Eden subregion in the southern valley.