Young Gun of Wine’s “Australia’s Best Aglianico”
Aglianico isn’t an easy grape. It ripens late, keeps its acidity, and has some of the firmest tannins in the wine world. In a cooler part of Bendigo, it doesn’t always reach the standard we set, and in those years we don’t release one at all.
So we’re especially proud that our 2019 Sutton Grange Aglianico has been featured in Australia’s Best Aglianico by Young Gun of Wine. Their panel blind-tasted every Australian aglianico they could find, and each panellist named their top six.
The tasting
The panel met at The Lincoln in Carlton:
- Nikki Palun (Susuro)
- James Scarcebrook (Vino Intrepido)
- Cindy Heley (Monak Wine Co.)
- Seamus Donaghey (919 Wine)
- Sam Baxter (Victor Churchill)
- Caroline Abbott DipWSET (Caravine Consulting)
Our 2019 Aglianico was among the top picks of two of the panellists.
What the panel said about the 2019
“Great tannin structure, soft but with awesome length.“
Seamus Donaghey, 919 Wine, for Young Gun of Wine
“This wine threw me for a loop – the dark horse of the day’s lineup … It’s not classically balanced – but I couldn’t get enough of this wine.”
Sam Baxter, Victor Churchill, for Young Gun of Wine
Why aglianico, and why here
Our vineyard has one of Australia’s first commercially productive aglianico plantings. It sits in a cooler pocket of Bendigo, right at the edge of where the grape will ripen. That makes vintages more variable than in warmer regions. As our sales and cellar door manager Toby Waite told Young Gun of Wine, this thick-skinned variety does its best work for us in the hot years. In cooler years it can stay lean, with pronounced tannins.
That’s why we don’t make one every year. If the fruit isn’t right, no amount of blending will fix it, so we skip the vintage.
When we do release one, winemaker Chris Smales aims for a brighter, fresher, more fruit-driven style than the classic southern Italian wines. It’s still a serious aglianico, with all its structure, but shaped by our site.
Taste the 2019 at cellar door
The 2019 isn’t available online, but you can still taste it at our cellar door. Because we make aglianico in small quantities and not every year, it’s one of our favourite wines to open for people who haven’t tried the variety before.
Shop our current release: 2021 Aglianico
If you can’t get to Sutton Grange, our 2021 Aglianico is available in our online shop. Blueberry and cherry fruit aromas and a rose petal perfume on the nose. Bright juicy fruit flavours on the palate with a succulent mid-pallet.
Shop the 2021 Aglianico → | $65
Read the full article, with every wine the panel selected, at Young Gun of Wine: Australia’s Best Aglianico.
