Robert Stein Winery, one of the most beautiful places on earth

22 May

One of the reasons to love wine and be involved in it is that wineries are often located in some of the most beautiful parts of the world, Robert Stein Winery in Mudgee definitely qualifies. Located slightly raised above the plains on the side of a hill, the views across the Mudgee region are special.

Robert Stein Winery, Mudgee Valley, Shiraz, Riesling — View from the Winery

Robert Stein is a winemaker for many of the smaller vineyards across the region and the specialty is Riesling. The Reserve Riesling has structure and length with a soft blend of lemon and lime strung together, along with a decent spine of acid, promises a long a bountiful life.

Personally I was struck by the delicacy and beauty of the half dry Riesling, this is a wine in the tradition of the German Trocken styles. The wine is old soft lemon, a smooth, not bitter line of minerality and finishes with a long hang of Tahitian lime. The 15gl of residual sugars wraps around the flavors, never dominating, just keeping it all hanging together.

There is also a very special Shiraz, the Kinnear which is the best two barrels of the best grapes picked of 2016. This is a chewy medium bodied Shiraz with red and black fruits and top spicy notes.

The Robert Stein Winery, an afternoon in the vines

The entrance to the Old Clay Pumphouse restaurant sits about 20 metres from the cellar door and as we had a bit of time to kill, we wandered around the winery. In front of the Old Clay is a man made dam full of reeds and birdlife, there are little places to sit and quietly look out over the vineyard. We sat quietly for about 30 minutes and just watched the sun go down over the Mudgee Valley.

Old Clay Pumphouse, Rober Stein Winery, Mudgee — The Old Clay Pump house

If you are a bloke and not into wine, the family have been collecting motorcycles for many decades and maintain a small museum (free to enter) just next to the cellar door.