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NOTES
Luke Lambert started into wine to combine two areas of interest: drinking and science. He went to Wagga to learn the tricks, looked around for a region to make the wines he liked to drink and settled on the Yarra, working at Diamond Valley, Coldstream Hills and now for Melbourne lawyer Justin Fahey at Maddens Lane. He struck up a rapport with the owner of Rising Vineyard; a place he figured could make savoury, fragrant Shiraz, modeled on the stuff he likes to drink. Nebbiolo was the other grape that caught his eye. Lambert sources his nebbiolo from Heathcote and has plantings underway that will provide a Yarra version from 2009. There’s also a 2007 vintage reserve Shiraz in barrel, fermented as 100 per cent whole bunches. It’s guaranteed to get the neighbours talking.
Nebbiolo can be said to have the same obsession as Pinot Noir. It’s that kind of grape. It has the same obsessive potential as Pinot, perhaps even more. It harks from Piedmont in Italy, where it makes commanding wines, classically described as tar and roses. It is romantic and demanding with beguiling aromatics: rose petal, dried cherry and spices, none of which give any clue to the rippling tannins driving it through the mouth. Twisted tight with acidity, it is capable of delivering some of the most complex and enduring wines in the world. Australian makers tend to be the very committed enthusiasts, as this grape is neither easy to grow nor to make. King Valley and Adelaide Hills are the two regions of note, and if the quality can be maintained, the future for nebbiolo in Australia looks very rosy indeed.
TASTING NOTES
Clear rosy red in colour with lifted aromatics of raspberry, red cherry, flowers, fennel and damp earth. On the palate light to medium bodied with fresh tangy acidity and firm chalky open knit tannins with juicy flavours of cherry, weak raspberry cordial, fennel and earth. Finishes with a tannic rasp and a red fruit and dried herb aftertaste. Italianate in structure and style, it works best with food, and will be appreciated most by those who value elegance and restraint over size and power. A wine of considerable charm and one with a bright future. 13.4% Alc 92+ Points, Gary Walsh, Winorama
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