Winemaker Notes
This wine and the philosophy behind it have not changed significantly since the first wine was made from the 1964 harvest. A blend from most of the blocks on the vineyard, this wine expresses the hallmarks of Eden Valley and the Pewsey Vale Vineyard.
Intense aromas reminiscent of fine dried herbs, white flowers, lemon and lime. The palate shows great length and depth with grapefruit and lime, fresh rosemary, white pepper, and a hint of tropical fruit. The wine finishes with a fresh natural acidity which balances the flavor intensity, and a minerality that will reward medium to long-term cellaring.
Enjoy on its own, or with seared scallops, Thai noodle salad or salt and pepper squid.
Vegan-Friendly
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This 2022 Single Vineyard Estate Riesling is rocky, dry, floral, fleshy, tight, talc-y, curved and flowing. It has austerity and meat in equal measure, and it lingers long after the wine has gone. What a great wine. It's pleasurable and age-worthy, with brilliant structural integrity and impressive freshness.
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Wine Enthusiast
An open-knit, floral bouquet of honeysuckle and jasmine, along with peach, lime and ginger, opens to a mouthfeel that’s almost surprisingly dry considering the honeyed nature of the nose. There’s a chalky texture, delicate flavor and lovely lift of acidity.
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Decanter
Appley nose with notes of pear, peachy fruit and hints of flowers. Lemony on the palate, with a zesty finish.
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.