Robert Stein Winemaker, Jacob Stein, is not one to be idle; constant experimentation and innovation ensures the quality of the wines is ever improving. This innovation has seen the release of two new wines to range. These include the 2017 Robert Stein Shiraz Nouveau ($30) and 2017 Robert Stein Semillon Riesling Gewürztraminer ($18).
The 2017 vintage in Mudgee was perfect, with excellent growing conditions, soil moisture and sunshine hours. “We had lovely rainfall which ensured excellent canopy and fruit balance,” explained Jacob. “Summer was warm and fairly dry producing optimum ripeness across a range of varieties.”
The inaugural Shiraz Nouveau grapes were handpicked with 30 per cent whole bunch and 70 per cent whole berry fermentation in small, open fermenters. A cold and carbonic maceration prior to fermentation allowed soft extraction of the flavours without exposing too many tannins. The wine was then matured for six months in a combination of new (20 per cent) and older French hogsheads.
“We are always looking at tweaking our winemaking with the aim to improve the quality across the entire range,’ continued Jacob. “With this new wine, we aimed to produce a light, juicier style Shiraz that can be chilled a touch prior to opening.”
The unique 2017 Robert Stein Semillon Riesling Gewürztraminer is a modern evolution of one of Robert Stein’s oldest blends. “My grandfather first launched a Semillon Riesling blend 40 years ago and it was one of our most successful wines.
“The grapes for this wine were a field blend that was wild fermented on skins for four days prior to pressing off and finishing fermentation on heavy lees in order to build texture. We wanted to balance the vibrant fruit from these very floral varieties with texture and palate weight. It is a wine with a composed sweetness and attractive, lively spritz.
“We have included a component (17 per cent) of Gewürztraminer in order to create a slightly fresher, modern expression of the blend. The style is quite different to the wines of the past and the Gewürztraminer adds an extra dimension to the wine.”