Our panel: Yuki Hirose MS, head sommelier Lucas Restaurants; Alex Meikle-Briggs, Head Sommelier, Grossi Restaurants; Duncan Lloyd, winemaker, Coriole; Madeleine Marson, winemaker, Vinea Marson; Iona Baker, Italian wine importer, Trembath & Taylor; Isabella Greco, Sommelier; Andrew Wyse, Sommelier and Importer, Cardwell Cellars; Sacha Imrie, Sommelier, Daughter In Law.
With eight of the finest palates in attendance, we gathered every example we could find in Australia and set our expert panel the tasks of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. Below are the top wines from the tasting.
This was the number one wine of the tasting for Meikle-Briggs, Wyse and Hirose, whole Lloyd included it in his top-two wines of the day. “This was a great wine!” declared Meikle-Briggs, “Darker and riper than a few of the other Sangiovese’s. Flavours included dark red cherries, blackberries, confit strawberries, chocolate. There was also great herbaceous flavour and spice to the wine with flavours of: oregano, thyme, liquorice.” “An intricate perfume of leather, roasted cherry tomatoes, fennel and figs, which prelude a palate rich with layers of pomegranate and cherry and oregano, finishing with more savoury and earthy characters like mulch and gentian,” said Wyse, “Finishes with soft tannins suspended in a sea of botanicals.” “Pretty earthy entry with the nose of dried herbs and touch of cedar bark,” commented Hirose, “Palate has a bracing acidity with orange peel, chinato-like present bitterness. It really reminds me of Tuscany forest in central Italy… Great with some gamy meat like roasted quail with porcini mushroom.” Lloyd: “This wine had great clarity with distinct cherry choc, leather, black tea and baking spices. A beautifully assured palate packed with dark cherry, blackberry, orange rind and damson plum. Acidity a key factor here with full ripe tannin power commanding attention and protein! Think Bistecca Fiorentina to get the most out of this one.”
This was the top wine for Greco, while Imrie and Marson also placed it in their top few wines of the day. “Oomph!” exclaimed Imrie, “Gorgeous ruby core with brick rims. A richness to the quality of aromas, giving the impression the characters would be finely woven through the wine. Earthy, strawberry, cherry plum, a touch of violet and dried rose petal. Rounded palate. The alcohol is a little viscous – but enjoyable with the flavour spectrum and intensity. There’s tea and leather and dried herbs on the palate. Tannins dry off with flavours lingering.” “Tinge of orange in colour, with a nose that is Chianti-like in terms of its red-fruit profile and attractive savouriness with dried herbs and bitter-orange amaro aromas,” noted Marson, “There is a nice hint of cherry cola too from sangiovese’s generous sweet fruit. The palate is similarly bright with a pleasingly line of acid and lovely subtlety – its fine tannins are powdered with a hint of rich dark cocoa leading to a long finish.”“On the nose I found notes of flowers and ripe red fruits, cherry and plum,” said Greco, “The palate medium and elegant, dry, clear, carved in rock, yet soft and persuasive. Mineral and fruity but not overly sweet, found again notes of cherry, and then blackberry, raspberry and, allow me, a bit of mushroom as well. It’s dry and aromatic, silky tannins and a meaty and dense structure. The body is slender, sinuous, but not soft, full of tension. Warm but not too round, it’s contained, savouriness and acidity are balanced and act as a frame to this little work of art, giving a long and flavourful finish. I would enjoy a glass on its own but better paired a roast or even a lasagna.”
This was Marson’s top wine of the day, with Greco and Wyse also including it in their top-six lists. Marson wrote: “‘Italianate” in style with layers of fruit and savoury character on the nose. It’s broody and evocative with dark cherries layered with cinnamon, dried herbs and spicy cherry oak on the nose. A standout wine from the nose alone, with evidence of bottle age perhaps. The palate is more firmly planted in the red fruit spectrum, with ripe red cherries and cherry cola (Dr Pepper?) grading to an enticing savouriness and with some nice acid pulling it altogether. Though the tannins are prominent they are coated by an attractive juiciness, amaro bitterness and a lick of heat on the finish. Almost seamless discerning where the palate finishes and the tannins begin, well integrated and holds all components with a deftness that is simultaneously rich and concentrated. A rich wine that melds Sangiovese’s typical sweetness and spicy savouriness well.” “Behind the oak, there’s heirloom tomatoes and tomato leaf, espresso grounds, vetiver, and black cherries,” wrote Wyse, “The attack is bursting with crushed cherry fruit and vanilla bean, with elegant layers of plum and blood orange, juicy wild strawberry, rosewater, white button mushroom. Leitmotifs of sandalwood and artichoke form a beautiful romanesque finish.” “It reminded me of a Mediterranean summer in southern Italy, the heat and cicadas,” recounted Greco, “This Sangiovese is outspoken, and easy to drink. I’d have it with pasta with ragù or just with fresh tomato base, with white meat, a fresh well seasoned salad, or even with just some bread and cheese.
Llyod placed this as the top sangiovese at the tasting, while Hirose included it in his two two and Imrie in her top six wines. “I found this wine to have some very attractive fruit on the nose,” said Imrie, “Lifted pops of blueberry, alongside dark cherry, blackcurrant, sasparilla. herbal, sweet spice, and tea like tannins. everything does seem quite tightly wound at the moment – I’d love to see this wine once it has relaxed a little. A smooth creamy texture which give way to a sharp tannic upflick. Lingering fruit and herbal flavours.” “Red fruited, nose of cranberry, pomegranate and red plum skin,” said Hirose, “Slight funky. This would be a nice introduction to sangiovese.” “Beautifully fragrant aromatics with an intense savoury complexity,” noted Lloyd, “Earthen clay, licorice, new leather and cherry. The palate shows a great spread of flavour across the palate, cherry pip, dried thyme, citrus, black pepper and spice. I loved the balance of rustic charm and complex array of red fruits. This was all supported by a driving acid line that sat seamlessly with the fruit and fine tannin structure. Excellent. I’m thinking of a rustic Tuscan Papperdelle al Cinghiale.”
Baker put this at the top of her best wines of the day, while Lloyd and Meikle-Briggs also included it in their top six lists. “This wine had a great combination of both primary fruit flavours as well as a rich aroma of leather, nutmeg and especially star anise, which I only found in a few wines today,” said Meikle-Briggs. Baker noted: “While somewhat pale garnet coloured, this medium bodied sangiovese stood out with lovely savoury mineral aromas: flinty, wet gravel -petrichor before classic red cherry, subtle baking spices and orange zest. Complex and persistent, bright flavours of mouth puckering crunchy sour red cherry, raspberry, refreshing pomegranate intermingled with richer balsamic, sweet cinnamon and nutmeg spices as well as tobacco and dried lemon thyme backed up with very fine silty textured tannins. This is delicious by itself or with game meat, roast duck.” “Initially shy on the aromatics this wine just kept giving in the glass,” said Lloyd, “Wild strawberry, black tea, forest fruits and heady scents of a fresh spice garden. Beautifully poised across the palate this wine displays an impressive spread of flavour. Fresh raspberries, pomegranate, five spice and an exotic earthiness. Seamless acidity sits amongst the fine feathery tannins giving impressive length. I’d love to see this alongside a simple butter and black truffle pasta.”
This was the wine of the day for Imrie, with Lloyd, Baker and Greco also giving it a placing amongst their top wines. Baker: “A youthful wine with purple plum and blueberry like fruits flavours, hints of oregano stem and attractive violets floral lift,” noted Baker, “The palate had good length and I loved the fine satin like tannins. Hints of oak – nutmeg and cigars; and fresher crunchier fruit flavours – sour cherries; as well as that violet prettiness.” “Super ripe red cherry, pomegranate and spice notes,” said Greco, “This wine is fleshy, broad and elegant with hints of bergamot, Mediterranean scrub, blueberries, and black cherry jam.” “Lots of earthy and leather notes with a sweet underlying fragrance of wild strawberry, redcurrants and white pepper,” wrote Lloyd, “The palate continues the bright edged theme with raspberry leaf, clove pomegranate and rhubarb. There is a sandy tannin profile which works well with the lithe fruit profile to give this wine great presence.” “This wine lingered on my mind after the initial taste,” said Baker, “The fruit was complemented by black tea, leather, floral pops, and there was also a note of grape pulp, which I felt contributed to freshness in the wine. The palate came across reasonably light, whilst still having some tannic grip.” Greco suggested a food pairing: “I would drink this wine with a beautiful dish of roast meat with truffles and roast potatoes with onion and rosemary.” While Lloyd Try recommended to, “ try with high quality Jamon and antipasto.”
Hirose, Greco and Wyse placed this among their top wines of the tasting. “Slightly cloudy appearance with a bricky rim,” noted Hirose, “Loads of potpourri flowers and tarry character. Very long, savoury finish. It’s my cup of tea but it may come across as too funky for some.” Wyse: “First impression is strawberry ice cream, complemented by maraschino cherry, fig, holy basil, palate is wild strawberries and cherry compote, tannins are a bit rough on the finish, but this will refine with age. Very glamourous.” “Notes of star anise, cedar, pine and resin,” wrote Greco, “Floral compounds of lavender and dried flowers. Sage, fresh wet wood and myrrh. The taste is fruity – an explosion of flavour of red fruits, iris, raspberries, plums, cherry cola and cherries. Medium bodied, with the acidity of blood orange, coming together with notes of black pepper. And more memories of fern and undergrowth and musk. Grippy tannins and lovely finish, slightly bitter. I believe this wine would be great with game meat.”
This was Meikle-Briggs’ second-top wine of the tasting, while Hirose and Baker also included it in their top six wines. “Consommé like nose which I found very inviting,” noted Hirose, “Palate is plummy, sour cherry and good tension of acidity. Textbook Sangiovese to me. Wine like this would cover a wide range of food, like from tomato base pizza to meaty bolognaise pasta.”“Sweeter, almost confected, intense flavours of strawberry, red and black cherry fruit, it had appealing lavender, thyme stem, pine sappy qualities and a cardomom spice and grainy tannins with a linen like grippiness,” said Baker, “I was impressed with enduring black cherry flavours lingered.” Meikle-Briggs: “This wine had flavours of ripe slightly stewed cherries, ripe raspberries, baking spice, leather, slight balsamic character, good level of spice and with great acid and chewy tannins. This wine would go beautifully with a Mushroom Risotto or some lovely Lamb Chops, that have been roasted over a woodfire grill.”
Greco placed this in her top-two wines of the tasting, with Baker also giving it a top six berth. “A very pretty wine, bright ruby coloured, highly fragrant, sweet and sour.,” noted Baker, “A feminine bouquet of dried rosemary, lemon rind, lavender and fresh sweet red cherries, currants, and pomegranate and a rather stony edge. A very pretty palate, again lavender and red current, sour, very fine chalky tannins and long fruit. This wine could be easily overlooked with its pale colour and lighter body yet its silky thread texture and persistent red current fruit are enticing. A wine for those that prefer a more elegant style of red.” Greco: “Ahh!! What a beautiful surprise!” exclaimed Greco, “On the nose it reveals balsamic herbaceous notes of great elegance. Eucalyptus, pine, resin, menthol, sandal wood, incense and juniper. Moreover, thyme and rosemary. The palate is complex and very nuanced. Cherry, liquorice, pomegranate, blueberry, ink and plum. Round. A balsamic sweetness that reminded me of milk and mint. It was better after a bit of air, and perfectly balanced. I would pair it with crostini with chicken liver, grilled and braised meat.”
Meikle-Briggs and Baker both had this wine in their top-six from the tasting. “Deeply ruby coloured with full body and sandy grained tannins,” wrote Baker, “I found this sangiovese robust and refreshing at the same time. Great for the wine drinkers that prefer rich, bold wines with plums, mulberries, black cherry yet with that energising pomegranate crunch, and more interest added with hints of liquorice, balsamic, orange zest and dried violets. It would pair well with robust, slow cooked meats.” Meikle-Briggs: “I felt this wine had a great black tea aroma, alongside fresh cranberries, tart black cherries, rosemary, thyme, blood orange, great spice as well. There was a great flavour of fennel and there was a great chalkiness to this wine, which I really liked. This wine was fantastically fresh, vibrant and very well balanced. This could go well with a dish of black lentils, grilled calamari and a tomato sauce.”
This was Imrie’s second-top wine of the tasting, and Wyse also included it in his top six wines. “Beautiful bricking colour indicating some age,” noted Imrie, “A lot of aromatic intensity with aromas notable before your nose reaches the glass. Super inviting perfume of dried red cherry, red currant, dried strawberry, Christmassy orange peel, pinecone, and vanilla – deep set aromas. A nice creaminess to the palate, and in that setting, I really liked the tannins – noticeable, firm – adding a juxtaposition of textures. Black tea, leather, dried fruits on the finish.” Wyse: “Black olive and cherry compete to headline the bouquet, there’s also licks of rose petal and rhubarb, alpine herbs and flowers waft in as well. Palate is very musical, suggestive, almost sensual or erotic. Cherry blossoms, camphor, sandalwood, Spanish moss, a parade of barks and wood essences.”
Baker placed this in her top-two wines of the tasting, with Meikle-Briggs also giving it a top six berth. “Garnet coloured, this wine shows lovely balance of darker brooding fruit flavours, masculine meatiness and spice,” wrote Baker, “Lots of darker cherry and forest berry fruit aromas with a touch of animal, think ferrous iron like beef backed up with oak spices like sandalwood, cloves and some dried oregano – made me want steak! It has a grainy dusty, dry earth mouthfeel and finishes with more plummy fruit and hints of eucalypt.” Meikle-Briggs: “This wine had lovely herbaceous qualities, with dried oregano, rosemary and thyme really in the foreground alongside that classic blood orange. Other flavours included macerated strawberries, cranberries, as well as a slight essence of cinnamon. Would pair well with a spiced boar ragu or, a roasted chicken rubbed in some rosemary butter. Would also go well with a nice Cacio e Pepe pasta.”
This was in Wyse’s top two wines of the day. “Rather heady perfume, white truffle, smoked salumi, juniper, alleppo pepper, sumac. The savoury and exotic nose is echoed on the palate with flavours of glazed game, pomegranate, black cherry, fresh fig, dried tomato. Would love to try this with any kind of lamb, especially lamb skewers doused in lemon and garlic.”
Lloyd had this in his top few selections. “Another wine of power and dense fruit intensity. Baked cherry pie, slivered almonds, bitter orange and wild thyme. A powerful mid-palate with a sweetness of darker fruits providing plenty of drive to the back of the palate. Tannins are firm but with full ripeness, giving another serious food wine. Osso Bucco and creamy mashed potato.”
This was among the top few wines from the tasting for Marson. “Nose reveals a dynamic play between savoury and sweet aromas, with enticing amaro bitters sitting underneath layers of red cherries and cola character. The palate is a touch fresher with tart red cherries grading to darker notes followed by pleasant chocolate cocoa bitterness. Prominent tannins are coated by a bright and persistent fruit profile. A bright style that would be most interesting with a nice plate of pasta.”
Both Lloyd and Hirose included this in their top six selections. “Nose of autumn forest floor, brown mushroom with earl grey like tea character,” noted Hirose, “Right amount of VA which really gives nice lift to the wine. Think of mushroom risotto or roasted chestnuts.” Lloyd: “A pretty savoury aromatic profile with dried rose petal, lavender, baked spices and fresh red cherry. Full flavoured with a savoury cherry profile and dusty earthiness. The palate is driven by a sweet tannin profile, giving a moreish chewy length. Midweek with a wood oven pepperoni pizza.”
“This was a pretty cool wine. Stood out with a few aromas that I didn’t pick up in other wines,” said Imrie including this in her top-six wines of the day. “Intensity of sweet blueberry fruit and liquorice, dark choc, black tea. Green spice, cardamon, juicy orange. A little notable on the alcohol, but fine in the context of the wine. A nice creaminess to the palate before the grippy tannins punch in. Herbal and fragrant.”
Meikle-Briggs and Marson both had this among their top six wines from the tasting. “This wine had a slight animalistic quality, wet leaves, a definite earthiness as well,” said Meikle-Briggs, “Flavours of tart strawberries, juicy blood orange, cranberry, candied rooibos tea, tart strawberries, oregano, ripe blood orange juice, cranberry juice as well as some candied red fruit flavours. This would be great with a roasted duck breast in a plum sauce.” Marson: “A bright and youthful style, Brunello-esque with violets, fresh raspberries and blueberries on the nose. A stemmy quality that continues on the palate,though the fruit grades a touch darker with dark cherry and blackberry notes complemented by beautifully rustic tannins. It’s one of the more modern styles of the tasting that exhibits integration between palate length and tannin profile. This one exhibits an attractive juiciness that continues more than in other examples. A style that I would love to look at in a couple of years too, whilst it is drinking beautifully now.”
“A Brunello-esque nose, with brambly purple fruits and dark cherries accompanied by an alluring hint of undergrowth,” noted Marson, giving this wine a top-six berth, “The brightness continues on the palate, with pleasingly high acid – bright and fresh on the palate. Juicy, chewy, yummy, some nice coating, rustic tannins alongside a spicy, long finish that has just a hint of bitterness.”
“I thought this was a really lovely example of a delicate sangiovese,” said Imrie, including this wine in her top six selections. “Bright vibrant ruby with purple tinges. Graceful aromas on the red fruit spectrum: cherry, cranberry, plum petals, orange blossom. Reasonably light in body, with tart acidity, sour cherry, easy going tannins. Endearing.”
Greco placed this among her top-six wines of the tasting. “Candy apple, spices and pot pourri. On the nose it is fragrant, fresh with pleasant hints of red fruit, liquorice, currants and a light touch of vanilla. The typical notes of sangiovese dominate. On the palate it expresses a pleasant sweetness. It is round, soft and savoury. Acidity and persistence characterise a very elegant aftertaste. It is a very versatile wine that would go well with structured and important dishes, and also pair well medium-aged cheeses.”
Marson inlcluded this in her top-six wines of the day. “A complex nose that melds fruit and savoury aromas deftly. Layers of red and ripe cherries are interposed with spicy wood, cinnamon and amaro. Sitting brightly in the glass, the palate exhibits fruit that is a touch riper than on the nose, with well-integrated with tannins that grade slightly to drying. Accompanied by a persistent and bright palate, the tannins do not jar at all. It’s got some lovely cherry spice to it and is an interestingly layered wine. This sangiovese just cries out for food – pizza would hit the spot.”
“Nose opens with cherry juice and balsamic reduction swimming around with flecks of white pepper,” noted Wyse, placing this among his top-six selections from the tasting. “Palate is juicy mulberry and boysenberry followed by a mid-palate crunch of watermelon and mint, and finishes with a trickle of camphor smoke.”
Hirose placed this wine in his top-six of the day. “It’s a cabernet drinkers’ Sangiovese. The tannin here call for a decent protein to chew through. Darker fruits like dates and macerated red fruit, with a hint of kirsch and pine needle like dusty finish. Driven by savouriness – a satisfying wine.”
Sangiovese is Italy’s most widely planted grape variety. Based on 2015 data, sangiovese’s 55,100 hectares eclipse pinot grigio by over 12,000 hectares. And for those that would argue for nebbiolo’s supremacy as king, only an aesthetic argument would hold sway (a very valid one, mind you), as it occupies a tenth of the vineyard land, and most of it is in Piedmont. Sangiovese, on the other hand, is the most prevalent variety in four regions, and it substantially occupies nine others. It is the majority component of 100 DOC/DOCGs and nearly as many IGPs, while contributing in a lesser way to countless more.
Ripening relatively late, sangiovese can produce lean and green fruit in more marginal climates, but it is also in many of Tuscany’s cooler vineyards that it produces the best expressions. In warmer zones, it can become broad and lose definition, or just be a little simple. It also has a natural tendency to produce high yields, so quality-minded producers will always seek to limit vigour. There are many different styles of sangiovese made, with large old oak traditionally used. Some makers aim for more concentration in the fruit and use smaller barrels, though new oak can be a little jarring, with the vanillin notes not sitting well with the savoury profile. Sangiovese is often blended with small amounts of local grapes for Chianti, such as canaiolo and colorino, as well as cabernet sauvignon and merlot, though the latter two are now falling out of favour.
It forms the basis for some of the country’s most famous historical wines – Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Carmignano – as well as establishment-shaking 20th century mavericks, such as Isole e Olena’s ‘Cepparello’ and Antinori’s ‘Tignanello’, which irrevocably changed the direction of modern Italian wine. It accounts for some of Italy’s most revered bottles, and it is happily splashed into tumblers in osterie and trattorie across the country.
Sangiovese certainly doesn’t have the same import here, with current plantings, also as of 2015, totalling 438 hectares. As opposed to almost 40,000 hectares of Shiraz. It represents only 0.5% of total red wine plantings, but it has captured the imagination of both makers and drinkers, and now occupies a significant position in our vinous landscape.
Perhaps surprisingly, sangiovese didn’t hitch a ride with the wave of Italian immigration after WWII, but no native grapes really did, with those immigrants adapting to what they found here.
Fleeing a country, a continent, cast into poverty by the legacy of two World Wars, Italians left ancestral homes to carve out new lives around the globe. And it is unquestionable that modern Australia was given shape through this mass migration, and also pretty unarguable that we have been the better for it. Aside from the general input of industrious, hardworking folk, the impact on our understanding and approach to food and wine has been of incalculable cultural benefit. But though the Italians brought much with them, it is somewhat surprising that they did not bring wine grapes.
With a country so possessive over its culture in microcosm, of the sanctity of subtle variations in a dish of pasta from one village to another, in the barely perceptible mutations of a grape cultivar from one zone to the next, it seems unusual that more cuttings weren’t stuffed in suitcases or wedged into boots for the long voyage. The cuisine travelled, although no doubt it has been reshaped in isolation, and vital ingredients were imported, but the approach to grape growing seems largely to have been built around adaption.
Many of the old vineyards planted and often still maintained by Italian immigrants are planted to shiraz, grenache, cabernet sauvignon and the like. It is not until much later that we see indigenous Italian varieties planted, and until quite a bit later again that we see them take a meaningful foothold.
While sangiovese is probably the pioneering Italian grape in this country, It wasn’t until the 1970s that Penfolds and Montrose planted the variety, with the latter making Australia’s first varietal wine from Mudgee fruit under the watchful eye of great Italian consultant oenologist Carlo Corino.
In New South Wales, viticulturist Dr Brian Freeman – one of Australia’s preeminent champions of alternative varieties – first came across sangiovese in the 1970s in Griffith. “I didn’t think much of it,” he noted, “It could have been the clone and not suited to the region. The early clone in Australia was high cropping.”
It wasn’t until Mark Lloyd of McLaren Vale’s Coriole planted it in 1985 that the variety seriously captured the public’s imagination, with Coriole still one of the leading players.
Lloyd didn’t exactly have instant success, but he persevered, working to both understand the variety and educate colleagues and consumers. Since then, sangiovese has taken hold across the country in diverse regions, spanning climates from the hot to the decidedly cool, from the maritime to the continental, just as it does in Italy.
In the King Valley, where Italian immigrant families turned more resolutely to commercial viticulture following the demise of the local tobacco industry. The Pizzini’s planted their first vines – riesling – in the late 1970s. It wasn’t until around 1993 that they planted sangiovese. Today, Sangiovese is “a solid 40%” of their vineyard – being their most planted red variety. “There’s not enough supply to satisfy the demand for King Valley sangiovese,” says winemaker Joel Pizzini. Pizzini have seven different clones of sangiovese in their vineyards. “It’s a really important variety for the region. It grows really really well in most parts of the King Valley.”
At his ‘Altura’ vineyard in NSW’s Hilltops region, Freeman sought to plant some Nebbiolo in 2008. After planting the ‘nebbiolo’ vines he purchased from Griffith, he later had these young vines DNA tested in France and they turned out to be saniovese. “I can now spot sangiovese from 500 meters,” he says.
While there has been much talk about the number of new clones of sangiovese available in Australia, and some winegrowers have a school of thought where multiple clones in a vineyard is the way to go, Freeman is having success with one clone which he has doubled and tripled down on. “Ours is a very good clone. We originally grafted it onto two rows of pinot noir (in 2008). We’ve since expanded our sangiovese plantings to 10 hectares, propagating our own vine material. It could be the clone, or it could be our site, but we see floral notes in our sangiovese.”
In speaking to winemakers – as you’ll read in the quotes from Duncan Lloyd and Madeleine Marson in the outtakes from our Deep Dive panel tasting – whether you have one clone planted or multiple clones, the message is the same. “You need to get cropping right,” advises Freeman. “You need to manage tannins: grow the grapes properly on the vine and macerate the wines in the winery.”
At last count (by the ABS in 2015), the Australian vineyard land under sangiovese vine was up to a credible 450 hectares (though, this figure is expected to be much greater now) nationwide. As an example, the 2014-2015 ABS survey records only a few hectares of sangiovese vines in NSW’s Hilltops region, but today Freeman Vineyards have 10 hectares of sangiovese today, while Pizzini in King Valley says their sangiovese plantings have grown 50–70% in the last ten years. The top three growing regions for sangiovese in Australia (recorded in 2015) are McLaren Vale, King Valley and Murray Darling, with it being recorded in around 60 of Australia’s winegrowing regions and zones.
The key flavour component mentioned when people talk about sangiovese is cherry, generally red, but sometimes black, with that primary profile generally accented with savoury notes of dried berries, hardy herbs, dried earth, leather and cedary notes. Lighter and fresher examples tend to focus on those bright fruits, but savouriness and structure often characterise the more serious wines, with grippy tannins and high acid also features.
Our panel: Yuki Hirose MS, head sommelier Lucas Restaurants; Alex Meikle-Briggs, Head Sommelier, Grossi Restaurants; Duncan Lloyd, winemaker, Coriole; Madeleine Marson, winemaker, Vinea Marson; Iona Baker, Italian wine importer, Trembath & Taylor; Isabella Greco, Sommelier; Andrew Wyse, Sommelier and Importer, Cardwell Cellars; Sacha Imrie, Sommelier, Daughter In Law.
“It’s a beautiful variety,” said Duncan Lloyd, opening the panel discussion, which came after the panel had spent the day tasting through the blind lineup of wines. “I was really into that tasting. Seeing that many Australian sangioveses, I think it’s in a really good spot.”
Yuki Hirose noted that he was looking for varietal characteristics when choosing his top six wines in the tasting, identified by, “A signature of crunchy acidity with bright fruits; sour cherry, red fruits, pomegranate and cranberry character; orange peel – but not as much as nebbiolo character; a kind of rustic-ness and pine needle; tannin levels. I don’t mind having a little VA in there – as long as it’s within reason. That’s what I am looking for in terms of tasting. So that’s what I was gravitating towards. If there were wines that were delicious, but just didn’t taste like sangiovese, I didn’t include in my top six.”
“It’s surprised me how well sangiovese in this country is being made, when I’ve been maybe a little bit critical of it in the past.”
Andrew Wyse posed the question of vineyard expression versus varietal expression, and noted some of the wines had a mineral character which he found very interesting. “For me, almost all of my wines in my top six, there was almost an aromatic component of the wine that was really making it stand – something that was really perfume-y on insence-y or something that I hadn’t seen before. Botanical was always coming up in my notes.”
Lloyd replied, “The aromatics of sangiovese, in particular, can be quite delicate. So I find you can easily dismiss the wine but then you come back to it and you actually see all this underlying complexity that you might quite quickly dismiss on a first pass.”
Working for a prominent Italian wine importer, Iona Baker sells Italian sangiovese on a daily basis. She recalled her experiences as a sommelier at Grossi Florentino, around eight years ago. “From what I remember drinking Australian Sangiovese, is that they’ve got a much fresher character than I remember: it’s as if they’ve been picked a bit earlier or maybe extracted a bit less. Overall, by bringing those ripeness levels back, there’s much more red-fruited… You got some more of those kind of crunchy sweet and sour, balsamic notes in that mid palate, which made it really really appealing, and wanting food thanks to the higher acidity and freshness of the wines.”
Madeleine Marson had similar revelation from the tasting. “It’s surprised me how well sangiovese in this country is being made, when I’ve been maybe a little bit critical of it in the past,” she said.
Marson continued: “It’s probably the wine I gravitate to most as a drinker, but I get the most enjoyment out of growing and making it, I think. There’s an ease to making it, if the work has been done in the vineyard that means there’s not a lot of winemaking involved – compared to say Nebbiolo.”
Understanding that in Australia, a varietally labelled wine can have up to 15% of other grape varieties included without being named on a label, Baker asked, “Do you think, in Australia generally, are we doing 100 per cent sangioveses, or are we adding in a little bits and pieces of other varieties? As you would say in Chianti Classico – where it’s common; not everyone, but a lot of people are adding in some colorino and canaiolo nero… Is there a little bit of blending just to give a bit of mid palette stuffing?”
She continued, “I thought perhaps these wines looked – not all had the stuffing, some did have the stuffing – some did have an angular or linear aspect that looked more straight-varietal rather than wines with a small amount of blending in there.”
Marson answered, “I’ve always thought that sangiovese kind of hides if it’s blended with something – even very small amounts. We used to add a bit of canaiolo or colorino – like four to five per cent – in the end we stopped, because we just wanted the variety to speak for itself. Personally, I like sangiovese to speak for itself, because it is so enjoyable – it’s not meant to be overly serious. The seriousness of it is that it’s meant to be enjoyable.”
“You actually have to put work in the vineyard for sangiovese – you can’t get away with not shoot thinning and bunch thinning.”
“Viticulture has a lot to do with it,” said Lloyd, adding his thoughts to Baker’s question, and sharing insight to Coriole’s history of making the variety. “From our experience, probably for the first 15 years they were 10% shiraz and cabernet, but they were young vines and there was also a learning of the viticulture because you actually have to put work in the vineyard for sangiovese – you can’t get away with not shoot thinning and bunch thinning.”
Marson asked, “How much are you, across your clones, dropping off the vines in a season?”
“We’ll shoot thin everything,” replied Lloyd, “And then it depends. In certain blocks we might just do one bunch per shoot. So, in a standard season, anywhere from probably 20-30% and if it’s a really big season, it might be more. You still get good yields, so it’s OK, but you have to know that.”
Circling back to the question of blending, Lloyd said, “For the last 25 years, I would say we’ve been 100% Sangiovese. Personally, I find things like montepulciano – coming online now for us – can be a useful variety for that one or two per cent.”
The panel asked Marson and Lloyd how many Sangiovese clones are in their respective vineyards.
“We have eight clones,” Lloyd answered, “The most recent clone went in around 10 years ago. We’ve planted more recently and we’ve still got some of that original clone in new plantings.”
“We’ve got between 12 and 13 clones depending on what day you ask my father,” joked Marson. “He bought in six clones himself from Italy. I like the depth of clones because it gives you some spread with climate variation, as well as depth of nuance. We’re looking at the best approach for each section of vines.”
“The aromatic depth of the great variety is what I’m taking away from this tasting. And also the food friendliness. It probably gets the most play with the Italian food, but it would be great with North African food – like Moroccan food; Indian food; anything really aromatic with lots of sauces and gravies…”
Marson then asked the panel, “How mainstream do you guys consider it as a mainstream style and variety in the trade?”
Andrew Wyse offered: “For us, sangiovese is not huge, so I’m coming away from this tasting feeling really enthusiastic about sangiovese – especially Australian sangiovese. The aromatic depth of the great variety is what I’m taking away from this tasting. And also the food friendliness. It probably gets the most play with the Italian food, but it would be great with North African food – like Moroccan food; Indian food; anything really aromatic with lots of sauces and gravies…”
Isabella Greco chimed in, “I couldn’t stop thinking about pizza!”
Wyse continued, “…Turkish foods. Anything with kebab!”
Baker added, “Tomato based meals.”
“Any chargrilled meat or vegetable,” said Wyse.
Commenting on the suitability of sangiovese to food, Lloyd commented, “It sits reasonably high in acidity. It can be quite high in acidity without looking obtuse. If you had that level of acidity in shiraz, it would kind of look a bit angular.”
“The aromatics of sangiovese, in particular, can be quite delicate. So I find you can easily dismiss the wine but then you come back to it and you actually see all this underlying complexity that you might quite quickly dismiss on a first pass.”
Alex Meikle-Briggs referenced how their wine list at Grossi is centred around Italian varieties. Meikle-Briggs alluded to “misconceptions” of Australian sangiovese. “A tasting like this disproves that completely,” he said, drawing parallels with Italian counterparts. “That kind of crunchy fruit that makes us think of sangiovese from Tuscany.”
Greco, sitting on a Deep Dive panel for the second time, said, “What I have learnt through these blind tastings, and it is very challenging of course, is that we must go in with a very open mind. With knowledge, sure, but no fixed terms of comparison. Especially because I believe that it would be silly to try make a wine to emulate something that is done on the other side of the world.”
Greco continued, “I don’t agree in keeping in mind only Chianti – sangiovese blended with cabernet, or even canaiolo, colorino, et cetera; and Super Tuscans like Sassicaia, Ornellaia or Tignanello as the term of comparison – where sangiovese is blended with cabernet sauvignon and merlot for a Bordeaux cut in a Tuscan style. Generally speaking, for example, in Romagna sangiovese is more light-hearted, a bit more rough, frank, but at the same time it’s delicate and open. In Tuscany, on the other hand, it is more austere and serious. Different again in Abruzzo, Marche, Lazio, and so on. Not to mention other regions of the world.”
“To me, these wines – Australian Sangiovese – have improved so far beyond where they were five to ten years ago. The improvement from then to now is… the improvement is beyond belief! They’re much more complete wines.”
Sacha Imrie noted how she was looking at the wines for suitability to her customers and the wine list at Daughter In Law, where the menu is Indian inspired. “Looking at selling it to your customers, all the wines were so easy to understand and communicate to someone else, like what the what they should expect from in the glass. The characters were so clear, the structures were so clear. Everything was delicious. Across the board, the standard was so high.”
Baker chorused her earlier summation, “To me, these wines – Australian Sangiovese – have improved so far beyond where they were five to ten years ago. The improvement from then to now is… the improvement is beyond belief! They’re much more complete wines.”
Yuki Hirose MS fell for wine while working in bars in his native Tokyo. Moving to Sydney over 15 years ago, he honed his sommelier skills over a decade at Rockpool, while also working his way through the ranks of the Court of Master Sommeliers with the aim of achieving the highest distinction. Hirose moved to Melbourne during the pandemic to launch a world class wine program with Loic Avril for a string of ambitious venues for LUCAS Restaurants. Today, as Wine Operations Manager, he oversees the lists and sommelier teams at Society, Kisume and Grill Americano. In August 2023, after five previous attempts, Hirose became a Master Sommelier, one of less than 300 worldwide.
Duncan Lloyd is the winemaker at Coriole Vineyards, where he grew up helping out in the winery on the family property. He holds a Bachelor of Oenology from Adelaide University and has gained global experience working vintages at Moss Wood in Margaret River, Josef Chromy in Tasmania, Vieux Telegraphe in Chateauneuf du Pape, and Monteverro in Tuscany. Before joining the family business, Lloyd spent five years with the winemaking team at Logan Wines in the Mudgee and Orange regions of NSW. Lloyd is inspired by the diversity of wine styles and grape varieties from Coriole’s estate vineyards, which offer a unique combination of soil diversity. He is particularly passionate about crafting wines with ageing potential, focusing on tannin maturity and balance.
Sacha Imrie is the sommelier at Daughter in Law, Melbourne. She began her career at 14, working in her uncle’s restaurant, Hewat’s, in Edinburgh, while studying for a BA Hons in Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art. During this time, she also completed the WSET Level 3 wine qualification and worked at a local French wine bar and bistro. Intrigued by Melbourne’s hospitality scene, Imrie moved there and never looked back. In Melbourne, she held roles with Bomba and worked as a sommelier and buyer for the McConnell Group, covering Gertrude St venues The Builders Arms, Marion, and Cutler and Co from 2015 to 2019. In 2019, Imrie, her husband, and their business partners opened Daughter in Law Melbourne, followed by Daughter in Law Adelaide in 2021, Pinky Ji Sydney in 2023, Bibi Ji Melbourne in 2024, and their newest venture, The Daughter’s Arms at Ovolo Hotel, opening this week. Imrie also has her own wine range, Hey Tomorrow, featuring winemaker collaborations in cask packaging. The project won the Victorian Premier’s Communication Design Award in 2022.
Iona Baker is a key account manager for leading Italian wine importer Trembath & Taylor. She is an WSET Diploma holder and has worked for lengthy stints as sommelier at both St Kilda’s Stokehouse and for the Grossi Restaurant Group.
Madeleine Marson joined the family business as winemaker at Vinea Marson and is presently completing her Bachelor of Wine Science at Charles Sturt University. In 2023, she completed two research trips in Italy, focusing on climate change in Chianti and Montalcino, as well as completing harvest with Paolo de Marchi at Isole e Olena. Her wine passions include Italian varieties in a changing climate and finding collaborative solutions to problems, such as the Heathcote Winegrowers project ‘Turning Green Waste into Wine’ funded by Sustainability Victoria, which has been a key part of her work over the past two years.
Isabella Greco hails from Florence, Italy. While studying law, she worked at several restaurants in Italy, eventually succumbing to the irresistible allure of wine. Arriving in Australia in December 2014 for a six-month working holiday, her stay extended to ten years – and counting – after securing a job at the idyllic Stefano’s Restaurant in Mildura. There, she served as the restaurant manager and wine director for almost nine years, counting the legendary Stefano de Pieri as a mentor. Isabella has recently moved to Melbourne to embark on her next journey in wine hospitality.
Alex Meikle-Briggs is the Head Sommelier for Grossi Restaurants. Originally from the UK, he moved to Australia in 2020. A certified sommelier with a passion for Italian wine, Alex has completed the Barolo/Barbaresco Academy Langhe Wine School. His love for Italian wine is showcased at Grossi, where he has curated the first restaurant wine list in Oceania to dedicate a full A4 page to the lesser-known Timorasso, an indigenous Italian grape.
Andrew Wyse has worked as a Sommelier and Wine Importer for ten years, cutting his teeth in the industry as a wine importer and educator with a specialisation in German and Austrian wines in Portland Oregon, he relocated to Melbourne in 2017. In 2022 he opened Cardwell Cellars, a wine shop and bar focused on geography and wine with Swiss Cartographer Martin von Wyss of vwmaps and worldwineregions.com. Today he imports wine from Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Austrian and Hungarian wines.
Cabernet lovers may scoff, but chardonnay and pinot noir are undoubtedly the hero varieties of the Yarra Valley. It is the latter, though, that leads the plantings, and substantially so. Sheer representation aside, the roster of high-quality wines from makers both large and small make a compelling case for the region being Australia’s prime producer of the grape. So much so that a Deep Dive was called for.
With both maturing vines and a depth of winemaking knowledge on how to handle the fruit, we thought it timely to line up as many currently available Australian bottlings of nebbiolo to see how it’s faring across the land.
In the 40s and 50s, one of Australia’s legendary winemakers made arguably some of our greatest and most enduring wines pairing pinot noir and shiraz. Today, there is a renewed interest in the blend, and makers from the staunchly traditional to the restlessly creative are getting on board. Four years after our inaugural Deep Dive into Pinot Noir and Shiraz Blends, it’s an apt time to again cast our eyes across the landscape.
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