Vinea Marson Sangiovese 2017

At first swirl, I was taken to an elegant drawing room and the feeling and aromas of sinking into a beautiful leather chesterfield at the end of a long day. There’s loads of freshness too with spicy red berries, black cherries and dried rose petals erupting from the glass. Plus more savoury notes of licorice straps and bunches of bay leaves hanging to dry. Vinea Marson hold back the releases a little so that you aren’t charged with the responsibility of waiting. The age is showing as just a subtle smoky charcuterie note – plenty of life left. In the mouth it is both silky and chalky with finely drawn tannins that promise ageability without detracting from drinkability. The fruit is bright and juicy against a backdrop of seductive baking spices and crunchy red apple acidity. This wine has the complexity to handle an indulgent winter lasagne, with the acidity to balance the richness.

Nicole Bilson

Wine Critic at Winepilot

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.

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