Why You'll Love This Wine On describing this alternative variety, Smithbrook Winemaker Ben Rector said: “Who doesn’t love Nebbiolo? I can't think of many wines that exhibit full bodied characteristics and structure, while maintaining such an elegant fruit profile with subtle aromatics. The variety has a tendency to produce a wide range of terroir driven styles, almost all featuring the unique rose petal, dark cherry aromatics, with a lighter coloured hue, but astonishingly complex and robust tannin structure that really sets it apart from other varieties popular in Australia just now.” [split] Tasting Notes Colour Pale garnet, red ruby hues. Aroma Complex, dense, lifted aromas displaying intesne varietal character: black tar, dried florals, blue fruits, red liquorice and orange peel. Palate The palate exhibits heavy, dense ripe fruit, punching with serious weight and volume. Blue and black fruits are at the fore, with subtle oak influence rounding out the mouthfeel. A seriously structured, fruit dominant wine with big tannins that will continue to soften with bottle age. Cellaring With 18 months in oak, this wine is certainly approachable in its youth with cellaring potential of up to eight years in the right conditions. [split] Technical Vintage & Winemaking Vintage was unusually late in Pemberton, even after a hot and dry January and February. Whites showed flavour, texture and balance and the reds are as good (or perhaps even better) than we have ever made, with great colour, ripe flavours and soft tannins. Fruit was handpicked, and delivered to the winery for gentle destemming, then crushed to a small fermenter. The skins are handled delicately throughout fermentation to minimise excessive extraction of the Nebbiolo tannins. The Nebbiolo fruit is left on skins for 14 days, before being gently pressed to larger format seasoned barrels, where it matured for 18 months before bottling. Region Pemberton Variety Nebbiolo Analysis Alcohol: 14.0% pH: 3.32 TA: 6.30 g/L [split] Awards Sydney Royal Wine Show 2025 [badge rating="gold" title="Sydney Royal Wine Show 2025"] [split] Reviews Mike Bennie, Halliday Wine Companion 2026 A succulent, medium-weight red that does great credit to the variety. Lots of red cherry, black tea, game meat, dried herbs, pepper and woody spices. It meshes beautifully and is framed well by a sheath of dusty, fine tannin, the finish all black tea, smoky wood and spice. Delicious and well done. A gourmet wine, per se. [points rating="93" title="Halliday Wine Companion 2026"] Cassandra Charlick, Wine Pilot, December 2024 Floral and blueberries. Dried florals. Fantastic structure, though chalky tea leaf tannins. Tasty amaro-type bitter orange and herbal notes. Just enough Nebbiolo, but fresh and drink-now deliciousness. Structure, freshness, form. Not the most complex or the most intense, but lots to love. Ripe and flavoursome. That burnt orange really comes through and builds with each mouthful. Take a good swig – this isn’t a sipper, but a full mouth, good grip guzzler. [points rating="91" title="Wine Pilot"]
Related
Related
Related