Winemaker Notes
This small Steingarten vineyard, which was gouged out of an exposed, rocky hillside with it's vines close-planted in classic Mosel fashion, is noted for it's seasonal variation and the outstanding varietal character of its Riesling grapes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The "stone garden" is a schist hillside in western Barossa, where Colin Gramp planted riesling in the early 1960s. The wine from those vines today has one of the most powerful mineral characters of any riesling in Australia, even when blended with a gentler lot from similar soils in Eden Valley. The '06 is saturated with flavor, layered in honey, spice, flowers and schist. The profound depth of flavor needs eight to ten years to show all its nuanced complexity.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and vibrant, commanding attention for its range of peach, lime and mineral flavors, melding smoothly as the finish sails on. Drink now through 2015.
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.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.