Jacob's Creek Riesling Steingarten
Steingarten Riesling is regarded as one of the benchmark examples of fine
Australian Riesling made in a dry style, and is the highest quality Riesling made under the Jacob's Creek label.
The wine was originally vintaged in 1967 and its name means "Stone Garden" in German. It is named after the famous Steingarten vineyard that was first planted by Colin Gramp in 1962 on a steep rocky site in Eden Valley, from which the grapes were originally sourced.
Planted exclusively to Riesling, the dynamite-blasted Steingarten (stone garden) vineyard on Trial Hill was first planted in 1962 by Colin Gramp, great grandson of Jacobs Creek’s founder, Johan Gramp.
Closely planted (1.2m x 1m) and located on a precipitous incline (1:3 at the lower end) rising to 450m above sea level on stony (fractured slate & schist) soils, Gramp took his inspiration from Germany’s Mosel Valley.
His visits to Germany also lay behind his introduction of temperature controlled pressurised fermentation vats in 1953 – an innovation which ushered in a new era of Australian white wines.
Steingarten Riesling, for which the Steingarten vineyard was the sole source until the mid-90s, was first made in 1967 (a small trial bottling) and officially launched with the 1968 vintage.
These days fruit from the Riesling dedicated 1.74 hectare Steingarten vineyard is augmented by fruit from up to three blocks from Orlando’s Eden Valley holdings. Steingarten forms the smaller proportion; total production ranges between 3000-3500 cases. Says Hickin the aim is to keep it small and, most importantly, to retain the stylistic profile of the wine.
Like the Steingarten vineyard (itself expanded in 1985 and 2004), the blocks in question are mature (planted 1971-1977), east-facing (cooler) and located on the weathered rocky soils which the winemaker reckons account for Steingarten’s “intense mineral character – its chalkiness.”
Another change over time has been the introduction in 2004 of Geisenheim clone GM198 (the Steingarten vineyard was originally planted to Orlando’s so-called heritage clones, which are thought to derive from Johan Gramp’s original cuttings). According to Hickin it has been the major clonal planting over the last 15-20 years in Orlando Wines vineyards for Jacob’s Creek Riesling wines. I asked him what impact it had on the wine if any. For him, the Geisenheim clone is the more consistent performer. As for flavour profile, he says it accentuates the wine’s lemon and lime character.
Today the grapes are harvested from selected older Riesling blocks within Eden Valley including Steingarten Vineyard. These prized Riesling vineyards are of Easterly aspect, so are protected from the afternoon sun by the surrounding hills and ranges. The vines survive in predominately shallow soils over fractured shale or schist rock, which drives the classic mineral character of this wine.
Winemaking focus is on retaining purity of the fruit. Grapes are harvested at night (or hand-picked in the early morning in the case of the Stein garden Vineyard) followed by gentle pressing and careful temperature controlled fermentation, with early bottling under screw-cap to best preserve freshness.
Steingarten Riesling displays classic cool climate Riesling characters, revealing intense lime, grapefruit and rose petal notes, which are harmoniously entwined with a 'dry' flinty mineral structure that adds persistence and length, providing excellent potential to develop further with careful cellaring for twenty or more years. Steingarten Riesling was awarded the Barossa Trust Mark since 2014 which guarantees its top quality and genuine
Barossa origin.
Flavour profile: Delicate fresh blossom aromas teamed with juicy lemon flavours. Finely
balanced, showing juicy lemon and lime flavours, supported by elegant mineral acidity.
Complements: Oysters with mirin dressing or seared scallops with mediterranean vegetables tossed with lemon dressing.