Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Nebbiolo 2024

The fruit for this wine was sourced from a 0.8-hectare site at Wooragee, sitting 450 metres above sea level on granite soils. VS&B set out to craft an earlier-drinking style here, and they nailed it. From the outset, it’s beautifully floral and lifted. Pretty notes of dried rose, cherry skin and dried cranberry are laced with subtle hints of decaying leaves and a whisper of tar – just enough to ground the perfume without weighing it down. While there’s savoury nuance, the overall impression is bright and fresh, with a gentle push of cherry fruit building with air. The palate mirrors the nose: lifted and perfumed, with dark cherry, dried rose and a twang of blood orange adding vibrancy and tension. The floral notes carry through, perfuming the mouth. Tannins are fine, powdery and red-apple-laced – Nebbiolo through and through – offering shape and dimension while preserving the wine’s sense of levity. There’s real length here, driven by energetic acidity that surges through the finish, drawing out waves of red fruit and rose. Elegant, expressive, and so moreish.