By John Rozentals.
Jorg Gartelmann and his wife, Jan: no stranger to buying grapes from Mudgee.
So, where is Rylstone, twin town of Kandos, best known for its famous cement?
I’ll hand the floor to Hunter Valley vigneron Jorg Gartelmann, who is no stranger to buying grapes from Rylestone’s parent area of Mudgee:
“The wines were made from grapes grown in Rylstone, an unofficial sub-region of Mudgee. Rylstone, with a population of only 650 people, sits between the meandering Cudgegon River and the world-heritage-listed Wollemi National Park.
“The region is producing lovely red varieties. The vineyard lies at an elevation of 630 meters, substantially higher than the Mudgee valley which is around 450-500m elevation. This ensures a longer, cooler ripening period which builds complex, elegant flavours.
“The 2016 vintage was ideal, with above average rainfall in December through to February, drying off until harvest at the end of March. We weren’t pressured by the weather to pick the grapes.”
WINE REVIEWS
Petaluma 2019 White Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay ($29): This is a thoroughly modern example of classy Autralian chardonnay, showing a good mix of restrained nectarine-spectrum fruit and sophisticted winemaking treatment such as in-oak fermentation. The coolish Adelaide Hills does this style very well and wine should match near-perfectly with richly sauced white meats or seafood. Look for butterscotch-type flavours.
Petaluma 2018 White Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon ($29): I guess it’s 40 years or so since the Petaluma label was created by Brian Croser at the same time as he was setting up the Wine Science course at Wagga’s Riverina CAE, now part of Charles Sturt Uni. I can’t think of a better wine to celebrate a significant anniversary with than this red from one of Australia’s premium cabernet areas. Like just about always I recommend lamb as a match for an excellent, though austere, dry red made from cabernet sauvignon.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Gartelmann 2016 Georg Petit Verdot ($35): In Bordeaux, France, petit verdot — the little green one — is normally interplanted with cabernet to increase acidity and delay harvest, but here, I presume, it gets a guernsey in its own right. It is leafy in flavour and tight, with ample bottle age and tannin. Foodwise, I’d treat it in much the same way as the good cabernet sauvignon above. Named after a WWI fighter-pilot ace grandfather of vigneron Jorg Gartelmann.
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