$45.00
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The Wine
This is VS&B very first tilt at a variety that’s particularly special to them. Whilst Thorley was nowhere near full production in 2019, this wine is about two-thirds Nebbiolo from the Virago site at Everton Upper, a quarter Nebbiolo from Thorley, and a wee splash of Barbera for brightness. We bottled one 400L puncheon.
Medium ruby garnet. The wine has a bouquet of dense bruised rose petal, a bit of char, raisins in brandy and sweet spice. In the mouth the wine is rounded and generously fruited, with a correct varietal attack of ripeness with lightness yet some powdery tannin. Macerated cherry and plum keep the palate firmly in generous and approachable territory though.
The Review
"Grapes from the prime Thorley vineyard, high up at Stanley in the Beechworth region, with a little help from the Virago vineyard, the latter of which is a climatic universe away – it’s roughly in the area of the old Battely vineyard. For all that, only 43 dozen were made.
There’s a sweetness to the fruit here, the influence of down-the-hill fruit is clear, though the flavour profile remains exotic and complex. Blood oranges, sweet cherry, loads of woodsy spice and rounds of crushed roses. It finishes dry and firm but not overtly so; the juiciness of the fruit refuses to let go. It’s a pretty impressive wine, not to mention delicious. It also boasts more than its fair share of finesse. It’s a one-off release and I have to say, it’s a beauty."
93Pts, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
