Orlando has released a very special wine to mark the 50th year since Colin Gramp turned the Australian wine world on its head with the creation of the company’s 1953 Special Vintage Barossa Riesling. This was the first wine made with the cold pressure fermentation technology he imported from Germany early in 1952, which effectively slowed down and prolonged the primary fermentation. In concert with the use of refrigerated brine jackets, it produced the first ‘modern’ tasting riesling ever made in Australia. Naturally it threw many into consternation, but some wine judges of the day, George Fairbrother notable amongst them, recognised the wine for what it was. It topped several shows, and Australian riesling has not been the same since, for the better. So, enter the 2003 Orlando Special Vintage Barossa Riesling 2003 (18.7, drink 2011-2015+). Given precisely the same dark bottle and the same livery as its predecessor of fifty years, it’s simply a marvellous wine. Its almost pungent aromas of lime, lemon and fresh apples reveal undertones of wet slate and musky spices. Long and dry, its palate opens layer by layer to reveal pristine varietal flavours. Beginning quite succulent and fleshy, its breadth is neatly tightened by refreshing acidity, as Barossa floor richness is held in check by Eden Valley structure and finish. The wine retails around $26. The only real difference between the current and original packaging of this model is that the 2003 edition has been sealed with a screwcap. Since the genesis of the wine lay in the adoption of cutting-edge technology to produce a better product, I think that’s an eminently sensible thing.
