O’Leary Walker Nero d’Avola 2019
- 94
- $28
- Drink by: 2022-2028
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I’ll be honest – very difficult to find anything out about this wine, so we are going with what was in the bottle, nothing more. And that is more than enough. Nero d’Avola is an emerging Italian variety, slowly gaining a foothold here. On the evidence of this wine, it promises to become much more than a niche curiosity. We have the grape’s deep, dark colour and the nose is rich and hearty, with sour cherry and tomato bush notes, black fruits and earthy characters. There is a hint of bitter almond and lots of black cherry characters on the palate, oodles of flavour and good length. Plenty of concentration on the palate, this should easily handle 4 to 6 years. It is one of the better local examples of this variety I have encountered.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
