- McLaren Vale, SA - $50
- Cork
- 13.5%alc
With plantings dating back to 1985, Coriole has been a pioneer of Australian sangiovese. As the vines have matured, recent Coriole Sangioveses have seemingly gone from strength to strength, to the point where, Coriole has now released a reserve level wine destined to join the ranks of Australia's new varietal benchmarks (which Coriole Sangiovese kinda was anyway).
From a hot, dry vintage, Coriole has fashioned a sangiovese that's lifted out of the glass by a fresh, minty fragrance, but underneath it's very rustic and savoury, with robust smatterings of scorched earth, leather and cherries co-existing with chocolate/cedar oak, to deliver a splendid nose loaded with character and complexity. Medium-bodied and silky to commence, the palate reveals a brightness of varietally correct savoury cherry flavour that's hard to resist, particularly with a lick of chocolate providing a delicious undercarriage, but the palate's most defining feature would have to be its seriously imposing structure, the likes of which I've never seen from Coriole. Even at 4 years old it's powerfully firm, drying and expansive, with coarse, chalky tannins and sour-edged acidity chiselling out a long lasting, mouth puckering and slightly astringent finish. Its grip definitely reflects the vintage, although its deliciously ripened fruit might not. Perfect really.
ü+ Powerful, firm, rustic and bright, and certainly handling its difficult season with aplomb, the 2007 Vita Reserve is a much more serious, possibly more masculine proposition than the standard Coriole Sangiovese. It's obviously urging for a stint in the cellar, from which it should emerge a most spectacular expression of an Australian Italianette. Alternatively, just present it around a lunchtime feast. Drink 2015-2020.
94 points
Love the sound of this, and its great to see the emergence of Austrlian sangiovese in the past few years that is truly serious and ageworthy
ReplyDeleteYeah definitely Red. I must admit before this bottle I was under the impression that nebbiolo was the new variety most likely to produce dead set serious, age-worthy South Australian reds, but now I might be a little in two minds.... ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this wine. my top aussie sangio
ReplyDeleteJosh,
ReplyDeleteI must admit I first tried this wine at the Coriole cellar door over Easter, when I recall it tasting even better than what I had in this note. I remember it being much mintier (fresher?) and even more textured (my TN that day says 95pts), but what I discovered with the full bottle I drunk at home which I didn't find at the CD, was a serious, serious age-worthiness and structure. Hence I am heading back to Coriole this Thursday to get another for keepsakes. :)
Cheers,
Chris P
Sounds damn good. I had an excellent Sangiovese from McLaren Vale recently, by a mob named Chalk Hill. Best Aussie Sangiovese I've had yet, but I might have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteMust admit I haven't had Chalk Hill's Sangiovese Dasein, but thanks for the recommendation; I'll try to locate one soon. The 2007 Vita really is brilliant, especially if you have the patience to sit it aside for another 4-6 years.
ReplyDelete