Grampians 12.0% Screwcap $24.99 Source: Retail
I love the Grampians. I love Riesling. I love innovation. And I like wines that are textural and taste good. So I love this.
You’ve probably read about this wine before, but in case you haven’t here are some tech specs:
40 year old riesling vines
Handpicked
Whole bunch pressed
Barrel fermented
Aged on lees for 8 months in large old barrels
What’s it taste like I hear you ask? Fresh limes and grapefruit with apricot kernels. Undeniable Great Western/Grampians riesling with zippy acid on entry but rounded out with some oak through the palate, making it very approachable now. Hints of jasmine and honeysuckle and some intriguing bready characters. Lovely length with the tiniest amount of pithy grip playing a positive role. There’s some sulfurous pong open opening, but it doesn’t really hang around. And there is noticeable sweetness, although I wouldn’t personally go as far as saying it’s off-dry. I doff my hat to it.
Winery Website- www.jamsheed.com.au/
Jeremy,
Agree, this is a lovely wine. It's a good time to be in the market, as a consumer for new and interesting wines. There seems to be a profusion of really good and different things.
Jamsheed, Downie, Mac Forbes, Luke Lambert, Some young punks etc etc. I'd hate to be a giant multinational trying to sell white bread wines to the masses right now.
Interesting to see oak used with Riesling. You're obviously a fan Jeremy. Not sure i've tried an oaked Riesling, but keen to seek this out now!
Edward- I couldn't agree more. It's a great time to be a consumer. Fosters' new incarnation, Treasury Estate (a marketing direction which, to me, is laughable) have their work cut out for them, although their are still many good wines in their portfolio.
Andrew- I'm certainly happy to recommend this wine. Heemskerk also make a good version that sees old oak and lees, altghough I prefer this. I still love Rieslings made in the traditional Australian unoaked manner, but these wines show that other approaches can work very well.
Plus, the devil in me likes to see the grape tinkered with. Too often it is held up as some "perfect" example of "terroir" and "non-interventionist" winemaking. Whilst these notions have cultural capital, I will always enjoy challenging them.
Sounds yum. I'll look out for it.
MichaelC