Mudgee’s highly acclaimed Robert Stein Wines has released two new vintage Reserve wines, the 2014 Robert Stein Reserve Shiraz ($50) and its white companion, the 2017 Robert Stein Reserve Chardonnay ($40).
The Robert Stein Reserve wines are limited release parcels from the winery’s best vineyards. “Both the Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Chardonnay are made from grapes grown on our oldest vines, planted in 1976 when my Grandfather established the vineyard,” explained winemaker Jacob Stein.
Jacob has recently completed his 10th vintage in his family’s winery. He returned to Mudgee in 2009 after spending numerous vintages working in Australia and overseas in order to gain valuable winemaking experience; always with the objective of bringing this expertise home to Mudgee.
The 2014 Robert Stein Reserve Shiraz is from one of Mudgee’s great vintages. The perfectly ripened grapes were hand-picked and fermented in small, open fermenters with gentle hand plunging several times daily. The wine was then matured in a combination of new (30 per cent) and seasoned French and American hogsheads for 15 months.
“This is a classic single vineyard Shiraz,” said Jacob, “It’s a wine made to reflect and express these 40 year old Shiraz vines; a wine that showcases the finest flavours and characteristics of our region.”
One of Mudgee’s regional heroes is Chardonnay. The region was the first to bottle and label wine under its correct varietal name, Chardonnay. “We have a rich history with Chardonnay and a vintage like 2017 only helped to show why the variety can do so well here. We are aiming to make a varietal wine with regional citrus and stone fruit flavours, a complex palate and good natural acidity and length.”
The Robert Stein Reserve Chardonnay was picked by hand, whole bunch pressed straight to barrel (50 per cent new, 50 per cent older, French hogsheads) and allowed to ferment with natural, wild yeast. Further complexity and texture was gained through partial malolatic fermentation, with maturation on lees for 10 months. “We recommend allowing this chardonnay a few hours to fully open up.”
The Robert Stein Reserve Chardonnay and Shiraz join their counterpart in the Robert Stein stable, the acclaimed Reserve Riesling.
2017 Robert Stein Reserve Chardonnay (Mudgee, NSW) $40.00
- Best White Wine Trophy, Cairns Wine Show 2018
- Best Chardonnay Trophy, Cairns Wine Show 2018
- Best Chardonnay Trophy, Mudgee Wine Show 2018
- Gold Medal, Cairns Wine Show 2018 & Gold Medal, Mudgee Wine Show 2018
2014 Robert Stein Reserve Shiraz (Mudgee, NSW) $50.00