I’ve never been one to have preconceived ideas about a wine, yet on the other hand, I can have high expectations of a wine if I’ve tried one of the same variety from the same producer. That’s a contradiction in terms, there’s no denying that. This wine is a case in point.
I have been lucky enough to try the 2018 Robert Stein dry Riesling (notes here ) and the 2018 half dry Riesling (notes here ). Very, very good wines. So, I think I’m justified in thinking this was going to be a another very, very good wine from the talented winemaker Jacob Stein.
Good aromas gets the ball rolling with citrus characters (mainly lemons/limes) and a touch floral. Riesling to a ‘T’ so far and worth getting excited about. There’s some good citrusy characters on the palate too with some nice texture and gentle acid (my wife really enjoyed this about the wine). A touch of sweetness provides some ‘fatness’ and weight on the finish but unfortunately the fruit faded a bit too quickly for me. Don’t get me wrong this has a place in the Aussie Riesling landscape, it just needs some spicy Thai food or similar to bring out more of the flavours I’m sure are hiding in there somewhere. Shame I don’t have another bottle to find out.
Region: Mudgee, NSW Price: $18 Source: Sample courtesy of Robert Stein Wines and Define Wine
Words from a Wine Glass 