Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2011 Barossa, South Australia

Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2011 from the Barossa Valley in South Australia and the tanslation of Steingarten is 'garden full of stones'. The 2011 vintage was the 35th birthday of the wine brand Jacob’s Creek which is now part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio. This wine has a pale lemon green core and a water white rim - the aromas are low and of citrus, apricot and red apple - riper than some of the Rieslings from the Clare/Eden Valleys but on the mouth there is great fresh acidity and the alcohol is low ( 10.8%), flavours of lemon, lime and apricot are of moderate concentration with a smattering of minerality, but not as zesty or intense as others tasted of the same vintage and seemed tight and un-giving at this point in its development, the length was good but had an acidic finish - so again disappointing. I had heard good things about the Jacobs Creek Steingarten, maybe this just needs keeping (and it does have the right character for ageing up to 15-20 years) or maybe this was not the best vintage for it - I shall have to keep trying!!
Score : 84 but do visit a vertical tasting of the Steingarten Rieslings.
The Barossa Valley has a great winemaking and grape growing heritage dating back to 1842 when settlers from Silesia came with their  German influence, and is home to some of the oldest vines in the world. In some families, there have been six generations of grape growers and winemakers. German culinary traditions and Lutheranism are still important aspects of the local culture; Barossa Valley even has its own German dialect, "Barossa Deutsch."  
Johann Gramp, 28 year old,  is said to have planted one of the first vineyards in the area, near Jacob's Creek. The Aldenhoven brothers and Joseph Gilbert are also thought to be some of the first growers in the Barossa Valley. Around the same time, Dr. Christopher Penfold moved to the valley, bringing with him some vine cuttings from France. He planted them near his new house and became a grower as well as a physician. Several other vineyards were established in those early years, including Joseph Seppelt's Seppeltsfield and Auguste Fiedler's vineyard, now part of the Château Tanunda estate.
The Barossa Valley is about 35 miles northeast of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The North Para River runs through the middle of the region. The climate is ideal for full bodied red wines, fortified wines and robust white wines and is said to be Mediterranean, but some of the higher areas can be described as Continental.
The Barossa region produces a great variety of wine, with the main styles being Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.  One important fact is that the Barossa Valley is Phyllowera free due to strict quarantine rules and working with local residents and visitors, South Australia even has an official board dedicated to these tasks, the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia, which works with growers and winemakers to prevent infestations and promote use of phylloxera- and nematode-resistant rootstocks. The first vines planted were of course Phylloxera free.
This Riesling is available from Halisham Cellars at a cost of £15.95 and the 2007 vintage from Tesco's at a similar cost..