Tasting Notes
Made from fully ripened Riesling grapes grown in the Barossa. This is a style which will find favour with those who enjoy some residual sweetness in their white wine. Pronounced citrus characters on both bouquet and the initial taste give way to soft, yet balanced soft grape acid. A great everyday drinking wine and one that teams well with South – East Asian cuisine. It is the perfect wine to enjoy with yum cha.
Vintage
Cooling gully breezes fanned the vineyards during the spring and warmer summer months allowing for a gradual, extended ripening period of the fruit. This proved to be a significant advantage during the hot summer months of 2008 with soil moisture at depleted levels. The vines were in excellent health leading up to harvest with balanced canopy growth and fruit development. The grapes were picked prior to the March heatwave, maximising fruit quality.
Winemaker's Report
grapes were harvested later in the season, crushed and then gently pressed by an air bag press. The juice was cold settled prior to a slow even fermentation in stainless steel tanks using cultured yeast to enhance the fresh fruit characters. Fermentation was arrested by refrigeration to retain some natural grape sugar levels and bottled early to retain fresh fruit characters.
Vineyard Notes
Fruit for the Steinbruch Riesling was sourced from the Schrapel Family vineyards and a small portion from neighbouring vineyards in the Barossa foothills. Vines were detail hand pruned to 60 buds per vine limiting yields to maximise fruit flavour. The grapes were picked 3 to 4 weeks later than the Riesling for dry wine production to increase sugar levels to 13 degrees Baume.
