2022 Marco Polo Sangiovese
2022 Marco Polo Sangiovese
Sangiovese, widely planted through most of central Italy was one of the original “alternative” varieties trialed in Australia. Penfolds established plantings in the early 1970’s in their Kalimna vineyard in the Barossa, however it was Mark Lloyd of Coriole in 1985 who really made Sangiovese his own.
Not exactly alternative any more, but certainly climate appropriate for McLaren Vale, we are captivated by this noble grape and its tightly held charms.
TASTES LIKE Santa Rosa plums, cherries and five-spice. Firm tannins and a fresh natural acidity
DRINK WITH Mums home-made lasagna, or with Ribolita (Tuscan bread soup)
Vegan friendly
CAMPBELL MATTINSON WINE FRONT: What elevates this wine is its finesse. It tastes of earth, leather and red cherries, with roasted spice notes sprinkled throughout, but it’s the interplay of tannin, fruit and acidity that puts a skip in its step, an elegant twirl, that that’s enough to give it something. 91+ POINTS
MARCUS ELLIS HALLIDAY : Open fermented with native yeasts; on skins for 16 days. Classically varietal, this is redolent of cherries, woody herbs and dusty earth notes. The oak ageing (12 months in older French) gives it the palate tension a Chianti-phile might expect. But this is the Vale, and a near-40-year history here makes it a rusted on local, with this an excellent example of why it is so suited – mid-weight, sinewy, fresh, savoury and crying out for food. 92 POINTS