Nero d'Avola

A brilliant vibrant purple hued wine with aromas of musk, rose, dark plum, pomegranate, baked quince and dried herbs. The mid-weight palate has the mouth-watering natural acidity we would expect of this variety and plenty of tannin. The flavours encompass cherries, sour plums, herbal notes and dried tomato.

It was an unusual season that began with quite wild and wet weather in spring leading to variable shoot growth and fruit set. It was a cool and condensed season in which different varieties ripening in close succession. Yields were low and of excellent quality.

This fruit was grown by the Chalmers family, pioneers of Italian grape varieties based at their Heathcote vineyard.
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We wanted to preserve and enhance the pretty perfume and vibrant fruit in a lighter style wine that is typical of Nero d’Avola from this region.

The fruit was chilled overnight before being destemmed and fermented in small open fermenters with hand plunging. The wine had a short maturation in older French oak barrels so as to impart very little oak or char flavour and to maintain the focus on fresh fruit character.