Pipoli Vigne Del Vulture Bianco 2013

The Basilicata area in Italy is renowned for Greco and Fiano which is perfect as they blend well for this little summer quaffer.  

 

Pipoli Vigne Del Vulture Bianco 2013 

 

Once the grapes for this wine hit the winery they are pressed off and cooled in large stainless steel tanks. The juice is then allowed to warm up and fermentation is kicked off. Basically this wine is a pure expression of the grapes and the vineyard without all the tricks thrown in. What the blend does is offer texture, length, acidity and flavour all in one. This is what I think entry level wines should be, blends that is. The wine is savoury yet has sweeter flavours of peach and apricot skin before the lime and lemon drops slice their way through the back end. Lovely 

 

Alcohol: 12% 

Price: $18 

Rated: 89 

Drink: Now – 2018 

Importer: Mondo

 

Wold Blass, Pewsey Vale and Skillogalee

The rizza files

I’m not sure why Riesling isn’t drunk more often instead of sav blanc or pinot gris as generally the variety offer higher quality at a cheaper price point. 

Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling 2013

Very flinty and not minty
Tastes like orange without porridge
Very long length without much spent
Love this wine would drink it in time

Alcohol: 11.5%
Price: $17
Rated: 89
Drink: Now – 2024

Skillogalee Riesling 2014
A very different beast to the above wine with the Clare Valley being more full on and in your face. There are interest moment of lime skin, orange rind and spring blossom popping their head out at you. The wine is still fragrant but it seems a little more evolved and easy to drink. 

Alcohol: 12.2%
Price: $20
Rated: 90
Drink: Now – 2019



Pewsey Vale Riesling 2014

I like what this producer is trying to do and that is focus of Riesling from a very renowned area. The grapes for this wine were harvested over a three week period and then allowed to ferment in stainless steel tanks before being blended and bottled. The wine smells and tastes like an A typical Riesling with lemon and lime cascading out of the glass with a bit of smashed quartz and talc powder. All these flavours and length of under 20 you say and I would have to agree with you except that I know it will be better with a year or two in the cellar. 

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price:$16
Rated: 91
Drink: 2016 - 2026

Cantine Pra Otto 2013

Cantine Pra Otto 2013

God I love Soave as it seems to combine food friendly flavour that has interest and a textural element that is not common for other easy going varieties.  This wine was picked and genteelly pressed to tank and allowed to ferment quickly. The wine then spends three months in tank before being bottled. Talk about getting this wine into bottle early but it does mean that all the lovely flavours are captured in their youth. The first thing I notice is honey suckle and pears dipped in cut quartz and spice. These transfers well with a little lemon curd and pralines on a medium boded framework and a fresh cut of acidity. 

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $22
Rated: 89
Drink: Now – 2018
Importer: Negociants Australia

Pizzini Rosetta 2014

Here is another of those little rose numbers. This one is made from Sangiovese and I can’t find much more info about it. 

Pizzini Rosetta 2014

Lip smacking dry and light as hell with flavours of spice, fennel seeds, strawberries, spring blossom and watermelon slowly evolve on the long driven palate. The wine takes ages to open up so I would keep this in bottle a little longer to fully appreciate what it has to offer. After a day open a creaminess comes out and moves the wine from light body to a more medium bodied style with some nice textural elements. Drink up.

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $18
Rated: 87
Drink: mid 2015 to 2018

Tommy Ruff Romanee Tuff 2014

This wine from Tom Shobbrook sits under his own label but is made from the same vineyard that is 20 m from his family house in Seppeltfield. This label allows tom to experiment in style and push things further than they have gone before in the Barossa. Think really slurp able wines that are not heavy at all. 

Tommy Ruff Romanee Tuff 2014

This is a Shiraz or Syrah but it feels more like a Pinot Noir.  In the beginning there are red fruits in the form of strawberries and cranberries mixed with dried herbs and earth which are so fragrant and inviting it was scary. The palate weight is light with only a dusting of tannin to be found but I don’t think this is built for the long haul, rather a fun and inviting moment with something different from the Barossa yet still retains the goodness from the area. 

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $27
Rated: 87
Drink: Now

Domaine Les Fouques Cuvee Tradition 2013

Rose from the homeland is so very dry and appealing. The importer must be rose made as he only imports rose from France. This is nice to see some different roses popping up as the confected versions aren’t up my alley. 

Domaine Les Fouques Cuvee Tradition 2013

This wine comes from Provence and is made from a blend of Cinsault and Grenache. On the nose it smells lovely and complex with all sort of red fruits and forest elements coming out with hints of spice. The wine moves up a scale once it moves to the palate as there is a tannic grip and a thickness to the wine as well. The weight of the wine is balanced by some zippy acidity on the back of the palate. All in all a beautiful rose.

Alcohol: 13%
Price: $27
Rated: 91
Drink: Now – 2016
Importer: Felixer   

Unico Zelo Rosato 2014

Rose can be so easy to drink and has become more of a winemaker’s pet project. As a rose can be made from any variety it has allowed some creativity to emerge. 

Unico Zelo Rosato 2014

I have written in my notes Grenache and Sangiovese based? Well I had one right but not the other as this is a Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Grenache and Merlot based wine done in a saignee style. The nose is sweet and is dominated by the Grenache notes mixed with a little earthier moment. These confected cherries and creamy flavours are very evident on the palate which feels like more of a light red than a rose. 

Alcohol:13.5%
Price: $24
Rated: 85
Drink: Now