Nebbiolo 2015

“A bright Langhe style.  Spicy black cherry, blood plum, hints of pomegranate, wet slate, white pepper and red apple skins – there is a pink peppercorn character here too.  In particular, in the mouth, the tannins are chewy and v pleasing indeed.  It has that moorishly refreshing acidity that is one of the (many) things I love about nebbiolo.  Fruit is handled with great care and precision.  A truly delicious wine.  Shame it’s sold out – one bottle was not enough.  A few nerd notes: 14 average year vine age (low yielding 2.5T/ha), aged in 3-5 year French barriques for 18 months.  Drinking perfectly now, but will age gracefully by the feels of things.”

It is bittersweet that I discover this wine, now that it is sold out.  It was a gift from a friend*, to say thank you, for giving them a bottle of wine (as a gift).  A thing like this makes me smile.

Nebbiolo remains a long-standing preoccupation of mine – each mouthful reminding why I find it so exciting.  So too, my interest in the Geographe wine region.  It encompasses 5 growing areas: Harvey, Busselton, Donnybrook, Capel and the Ferguson Valley.  I did extensive tasting through the region in January 2014, and it became very obvious very early on in the piece that the region produces an astounding number of high quality wines: riesling; shiraz; nebbiolo; tempranillo; sauvignon blanc and chardonnay (amongst others).

The thing that stuck in my mind about Vineyard 28, surprisingly, has nothing to do with wine.  Owner Pippa Nielsen is a keen patchworker and quilter, so the cellar door doubles as an art gallery supporting local artists.

*Many thanks to Liam’s dad, resident of Myalup, and avid wine lover – flying the local flag.