Don’t have a labelled version. I grabbed a sample from Andy Williams on Wednesday 3rd August straight from tank but after the juice had been fined and filtered and was ready for bottling.
Deeply coloured in the glass with a very fresh, bright purple and red meniscal radiance also featuring some pink hues, a lovely presentation.
The bouquet is immensely fragrant with red currants, blackberries, violets and mulberries, a little vanilla and coffee with some spice and liquorice.
There is a slight unctuous aspect to the early palate but this fades soon enough as you begin to encounter the fruit and then the more earthy/minerally and leathery tannins which are a thoroughly delightful aspect of this wine. Complexity is also a huge feature, each time you return to the wine you notice another aspect. Red currants are infused with blackberries and some sour and savoury black cherries, liquorice layers itself around the fruits and the wine then begins to walk on leather, something akin to tomato leaf does a small cameo, mulberries burst through the layered liquorice and the wine is gently spiked with white pepper, the acid is bright and nicely refreshing, the tannins are fine and a little furry and they carry the exceptional flavoursome qualities of this wine to considerable length.
I’ll be watching for the release of this wine at St. Judes Cellar Door and Bistro at Ballandean because it’s a superbly made Graciano and another point of difference and further variety to what you can experience on The Granite Belt. You won’t find much Graciano on The Granite Belt, it’s subject to downy mildew, there’s some at Savina Lane and Rob Davidson has planted it in Rees Road Vineyard.
The wine includes 1% Mencía, was destemmed with mostly whole berry and co-inoculated for MLF.
Tasted: Saturday 17th September, 2022 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 13.9%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $?? (Not Yet Released)
Suggested Drinking Window: 2022 – 2032
Winemaker: Andy Williams
Creative Ideas Specialist: Rob Davidson
Fruit Source: Riverland
Oak: French (85% Old)
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