I’m a fan of a dry riesling – either in the first year after bottling – or well-cellared with at least a decade resting in bottle. This wine from the Barossa – from older riesling blocks within Eden Valley, including the acclaimed Steingarten Vineyard, planted by Orlando’s Colin Gramp in 1962, is regarded as a benchmark of the best Australian versions of the varietal.
A bright, translucent pale lemon-green colour in the glass. A bright lime cordial, grapefruit, green apple, honeysuckle, orange peel and baking spice perfume. The austerity of the acidity is still a thrill, even twenty years on from being made. Pure, precise and intense. A layer of crushed shell minerality sways through the palate, between those citrus and spice notes. There is now a little honey and beeswax to the texture, settling and broadening the back of the palate. The finish has a floral flourish, quite dry and lengthy. 94pts
