Pikes Il Premio Sangiovese 2021

The progression of Sangiovese into Clare Valley’s top tier wines continues with this high quality, premium wine from one of the region’s best vintages in years. The Italian grape variety is looking smart indeed, and just a little quiet in the glass. It’s got that just-released reticence, but give it a swish or three and watch it open up. Captures the grape’s varietal aromas and character in a perfume swirling in black cherry, blackberry, roasted tomato, dried herbs with thyme and sage out front and lingering florals. Tightly-formed, its cherry pip tannin dryness, in the form of a fine line of tannin running through the wine, is a particularly appropriate Sangiovese feature. Too many Australian winemakers treat the grape in a sweet-fruited Shiraz style, rather than allowing its Italian firmness and structure with a touch of savouriness to shine through. The Pikes succeed where quite a few others have failed.