Region
Adelaide Hills is a wine growing area in the Mount Lofty Ranges region of South Australia. It is one of the largest wine regions in the state, reaching the Flurried Peninsula and McAllen Vale in the south, and the Bares and Eden Valleys in the north. Key to the region’s grape growing is the altitude of its vineyards, which range from 400 to 650 masl. This gives the region, in an Australian context, a cool climate. Throughout the Adelaide Hills, the ripening season has historically been dry. This, along with cooler temperatures, allows the grapes to mature at a slow pace, resulting in concentrated wines.
Vineyard
Made only in the finest years, the Riserva is sourced from the vineyard’s 3 oldest parcels of Nebbiolo. Longview is located on the South Eastern Ridge of the Mount Lofty Ranges; to the south lies the southern ocean, to the east Lake Alexandrian. This accounts for a slightly higher average temperature than the rest of the Adelaide Hills while still remaining a cool-climate site. Most rainfall occurs in winter; throughout summer, warm days are followed by cool winds shifting from the southern waters of Lake Alexandrian and the coast. These conditions result in a very high diurnal range which is quite site specific, ensuring a breadth of flavours and aromatics in the grape berry. Each block is serviced differently in order to build complex flavour profiles; they are then fermented separately and blended to make the wine of any one vintage.
Winemaking
The fruit was harvested by hand during the coolest part of the day and immediately brought to the winery for sorting by hand. Traditional vinification followed by an extended post-ferment maceration (4 weeks). Maturation took place in 6 and 7 year-old French puncheons (500L). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Varieties
Nebbiolo is the grape variety behind the top-quality red wines of Northwestern Italy. Nebbiolo wines are distinguished by their strong tannins, high acidity and distinctive scent, often described as ‘tar and roses’. Sensitivity to terroir is one of Nebbiolo’s trump cards, but also its downfall. It is famously picky about where it grows, requiring good drainage and a long, bright growing season.
Tasting Notes
Alluring and intense fragrance of licorice root and dark cherry with nuances of violets and roses. Spicy and delicious; the palate is medium- to full-bodied and complex, with rich, savoury fruit, refreshing acidity and fine dusty tannin. The wine finishes with a dried herbal note, silky and balanced.