2025 Riesling

"I like Riesling and think our part of the Adelaide Hills with its altitude, cool air and granite soils ideal for growing the variety. We took a chance, pulling out young Chardonnay and planting Riesling, but I think we’ll be proved correct, Riesling is at home in the Adelaide Hills.” SCP"

Vineyard: Peramangk Country, Kenton Valley , Adelaide Hills.
Clones: Gessenheim clones: GM198 & GM239.
Block: Block 3, planted in 2020 on own roots.
Growing Season: The driest season in living memory. Average winter rain was followed by a dry spring and a reasonably mild summer with one heat spike in early March, all fine if you had access to water. Good flowering and set was followed by an average season with no disease pressure. Vintage was two to three weeks earlier than average. A terrific vintage for the Adelaide Hills.
Harvest: 1st of March - 6 tonnes by hand.
Process: De-stemmed and gently pressed. Settled in tank for 14 days before inoculation with an Austrian yeast culture. Fermentation lasted 4 weeks.
Maturation: Settled in tank post fermentation for 4 weeks before racking and stabilisation. Settled in tank again and racked before bottling.
Bottled: Early August 2025
Aroma: Alpine | Spice | Native. Apple and spice in a field of native flowers. Yeast buns and streudel speak to the varietal heritage but hibiscus, candied fruit drops, rain clouds and petrichor feel at home.
Flavour: Varietal | Energetic | Confident. Pomme fruits on entry followed by brown lime and baking spice. Talc and dusty roads pepper the fruit on the back palate.
Texture: Silky and aromatic, this is not your standard Australian Riesling. The tone is expansive rather than fine and linear spreading then tapering on the finish to a long fine point.
Cellar: Approachable and appealing now with a future in the cellar if you can, try five years for extra complexity.
Try With: Nettle & pink peppercorn risotto from tipo 00 The pasta cookbook by Andreas Papadakis (you may need more than one bottle!)
Alc: % 12.5 | Ph: 3.1 | TA: 5.9

Halliday Wine Companion review by Mike Bennie

'You could cut yourself with this riesling. Laser beams, glass shards, so tight and lean, bright and frisky. For many, this is a precise, firm, scintillating style, though for others this may also be underpowered and too racy. Lemon is the strength, with some juicy lime, a touch of just-ripe pineapple and a grapefruit finish. Pure, for sure, jut geez, this is searing. Or refreshing. You choose.'

92 Points

2025 Pinots

"I asked the question: can I make Pinot Grigio more interesting? I found the answer in blending three varieties from the same family each adding a layer of complexity that couldn’t be found individually. I liked the result and planted a vineyard to create a true field blend that speaks clearly of it’s home in our part of the Adelaide Hills. Deeply complex, concentrated Pinot Grigio." - SCP

Vineyard: Peramangk Country, Kenton Valley, Adelaide Hills.
Block: Pinot Grigio – Block 5, Pinot Bianco – Block 6, Pinot Nero – Block 5.
Growing Season: The driest season in living memory. Average winter rain was followed by a dry spring and a reasonably mild summer with one heat spike in early March, all fine if you had access to water. Good flowering and set was followed by an average season with no disease pressure. Vintage was two to three weeks earlier than average. A terrific vintage for the Adelaide Hills.
Harvest: 26th of February - 27.5 tonnes by hand.
Blend: 77% Pinot Grigio, 19% Pinot Bianco, 4% Pinot Nero
Process: Individually de-stemmed and gently pressed. Settled in tank for 12 days before inoculation. Fermentation lasted 5 weeks. Maturation: Settled in tank post fermentation for 6 weeks before racking and stabilisation. Settled in tank again and racked before bottling.
Bottled: Early August 2025
Aroma: Perfumed | Delicate | Oriental. Nashi, hay bails in the sun, white tea, yuzu zest, clove, almond and anise.
Flavour: Composed | Energetic | Confident. Citrus to start, great refreshment then the complexity: florals, jasmine, matcha, pear drops, grapefruit and faint fennel fronds.
Texture: Narrow on entry swelling through the mid palate and fanning accross the back. The zest and florals follow through on the finish. Delicous pomme fruit crunch.
Cellar: You could but perfect now.
Try With: Spaghetti with marron & finger lime from tipo 00 The Pasta Cookbook by Andreas Papadakis.
Alc: % 13.5 | Ph: 3.32 | TA: 5.1

Halliday Wine Companion review by Mike Bennie

'A blend of mostly pinot gris with a larger balance of pinot bianco and a smaller one of pinot nero (noir). It's a textural feast, slippery and grippy through the finish. Quite a bit of talc and ginger, some peachy notes, lots of nashi pear. It feels great to drink, super easygoing, but with some more interest from the varied varieties playing well. Good, chirpy white is the result.'

92 Points

2024 Aromatico

"A white blend inspired by the wines of Northern Italy but suited to the spicy foods my household craves. Try with Miang Kham." - SCP

Vineyard: Peramangk Country, Kenton Valley, Adelaide Hills.
Block: Gewürztraminer – Block 1, Riesling – Block 3, Sauvignon - A friend.
Growing Season: An upside down, inside out vintage brought a new set of challenges starting with a cool spring, strong winds at flowering, a wetter than average January, a heat wave in March, and the driest autumn on record. White varieties offer pretty aromatics, perfect acidity, complex flavour and are set up for long lives.
Harvest: Gewürztraminer 22nd February, Riesling 28th February, Sauvignon 7th of March.
Blend: 75% Gewürztraminer, 23% Riesling, 2% Sauvignon
Process: All three parcels were individually destemed, gently pressed and held as juice before blending and co-fermentation on the 14th of March. A reasonably quick primary fermentation of 6 days was followed by a long slow settling in tank leaving 3 grams of residual sugar.
Maturation: Settled in tank post fermentation for 6 weeks before racking and stabilisation. Settled in tank again and cross-flowed before bottling.
Bottled: Mid-June 2024
Aroma: Wise | Energised | Daring. Turkish delight, rosewater and all the Gewurtzy fragrance but then melon, cinamon, clove and pink grapefruit peel.
Flavour:  Captivating | Ambitious | Confident. A fruit cart loaded to the gunnels with melons and citrus followed by a smaller wagon of grilled nuts and exotic herbs like lemongrass, ginger stems in syrup and topped with flowers.
Texture: A slippery, slurpy entry that is soft and welcome soon becomes mouth watering through the finish. Phenolics add interest and a toothsome texture like bighting in to an unpeeled pink grapefruit makes it all the more exotic.
Cellar: We’ve done that for you, perfect as is.
Try With: Anything with spice and lick of chilli.
Alc: % 13.5 | Ph: 3.37 | TA: 5.2

2025 '111' Rose

"I first made a Nebbiolo Rosé in the early 2000’s during my formative time in Piedmonte with G.D.Vajra. Nebbiolo’s aromatics and tone lend itself to Rosé and the flavours are unusually complex. We grafted an old Chardonnay vineyard on Protero to the rose clone (111) specifically for making rosé. The result is a wine we love to drink year-round from a single site and a clone of Nebbiolo ideally suited to rosé." SCP

Vineyard: Peramangk Country, Kenton Valley, Adelaide Hills.
Clones / Nebbiolo 111, the rose clone.
Block: Block 6, grafted on chardonnay 2021.
Growing Season: The driest season in living memory. Average winter rain was followed by a dry spring and a reasonably mild summer with one heat spike in early March, all fine if you had access to water. Good flowering and set was followed by an average season with no disease pressure. Vintage was two to three weeks earlier than average. A terrific vintage for the Adelaide Hills.
Harvest: 7th of March - 3 tonnes by hand.
Process: De-stemmed and very gently pressed. Settled in tank for 7 days before inoculation. A cool fermentation lasted 4 weeks before racking off gross lees.
Maturation: Settled in tank post fermentation for 4 weeks , racked and stabilised. Settled in tank again and racked before bottling.
Bottled: Early August 2025
Aroma: Pretty | Pink | Delicate. Blood orange, pomegranate, pink rose petals, pink peppercorns, pickled stawberry, alpine meadows, autumn leaves and very faint sage.
Flavour: Bright | Long | Gentle. All the aromas follow through to the palate in a seamless transition. An added dimension of roasted chestnuts and musk give a backbone to the finish.
Texture: The slow reveal of lacey tanins backed up by seductive acidity makes for complex refreshment. There’s a trance like state that is languid and seductive before a big reveal. Will it be kind? Absolutely! Deeply complex rosé.
Cellaring: We’ve never tried. A wine to consume with pleasure whilst we wait for our red Nebbiolo to mature in the cellar.
Try with: Spaghetti with king prawns & cavolo nero from tipo 00 The pasta cookbook by Andreas Papadakis. A favourite restaurant on Little Bourke St Melbourne.
Alc: % 13 | Ph: 3.41 | TA: 5

The Winefront review by Gary Walsh

Published on 4 September 2025

'I believe it’s made from the Nebbiolo Rose clone, which is used by some Barolo producers to enhance aromatics and acidity. Elvio Cogno is a notable exponent of using this clone. Don’t have a bottle image, though looks kind of like this.

Red cherry, almond, quite a similar smell to the wonderful Ines Rosales Seville Orange Tortas!, also mint/aniseed. It’s a zesty orange-laced expression of rosato (and why is it not called that?), cherry, quite juicy and tangy, a fair bit of chalky texture, with a lively finish of good length. A nice wine here, offering a distinct point of difference.'

93 Points

2021 Barbera

"The International flavours of Barbera make it an ideal accompaniment to the Australian way of life, be it the food we eat or our support for the underdog. It may come second to Nebbiolo in its native Piedmont but that doesn’t mean it’s short on authenticity or character and in many ways it is my preferred variety for everyday drinking." - SCP

Vineyard: Bonoposto vineyard, Kenton Valley, Adelaide Hills
Clones: F6V4
Growing Season: Joyous. No stress in the vineyard with plenty of water and warmth at the right time. An extended ripening period without disease pressure led to great flavour. The fruit was plentiful and perfectly ripe. What a strange contrast to the previous year.
Harvest: 19th April 2021 - 6 tonnes.
Process: Gently destemmed and crushed then allowed to soak for three days. Fermentation lasted 12 days; pressed gently and transferred to tank for settling.
Maturation: Malolactic fermentation and extended maturation in old oak puncheons, racked twice.
Bottled: Bottled without fining early August 2022.
Alc: 13.5% | Ph: 3.28 | TA: 7.0
Aroma: Bold | Dark | Temptation. Blackberry, black cherry, red Kampot pepper, violet, Rucolino, blood orange zest, grilled cevapi and terracotta roof tiles – An exotic tearoom of aromas.
Flavour: Romance | Pleasure | Brazen. A flavour tour de force from the get-go: cranberry, pomegranate molasses, red clay, amaro, blood orange, dry bay leaves, star anise, leather and bone broth take the palate behind the painted veil.
Texture: Medium bodied, pure fruited, high toned and supported by a soft pillow of tannin on the back palate.
Cellar: Could cellar for ten years but no reason not to drink now.

'What a vibrant wine! Floral scents of dried rose petal, orange blossom, sour cherry, white pepper – a treat. The palate is juicy but light and fresh, some crispness and tartness in sweet cherry juice, orangey acidity, a lick of peppery spice and some choc-minty notes lending a slight creaminess. Overall, you'd say 'very cherry' when tasting this, though, and that's a good thing. It's a delight to drink, fresh, bright, vivacious and distinctly true to the variety.'

93 Points

2022 Nebbiolo

"There really aren’t many places outside Piedmont where Nebbiolo has translocated well. This vineyard is one of those places and I am confident in stating that it may well be the ideal red grape variety for the region." - SCP

Vineyard: Peramangk Country, Kenton Valley Road, Gumeracha, Adelaide Hills
Clones: 230, 111, F12V7, F12V13 and Mudgee all on own roots
Block: Block 2, planted in 1999 by Frank and Rosemary Baldasso, managed by Carmine Pepicelli.
Growing Season: The second year of the current LaNina cycle saw a wild, wet winter and spring followed by a mild summer with no heat spikes and a dry autumn. Veraison was two weeks behind normal, setting winemaker’s teeth on edge. Poor flowering due to wild weather in spring including high winds, frost and hail lead to lower than desired yields. Quality, however, was good due to the long slow ripening period. Whites retained great acidity and reds developed depth of flavour and complex tannins. A vintage to watch!
Harvest: 28th of April 2022.
Process: Very gently de-stemmed and left to soak in open top fermenters for 48 hours before fermentation kicked off. Left on skins for 27 days with daily pump overs. Gently pressed and settled in tank for 3 weeks before being sent to an old French oak vat, two old French oak puncheons and one old Hungarian puncheon for Malolactic fermentation and four months maturation.
Maturation: A further seven months of maturation in various puncheons post malo before being sent to large oak vats for the final seven months of maturation
Bottled: Bottled mid January 2024 without fining or filtration.
Alc 14.5% | Ph 3.45 | TA 5.9 | Total sulphur 62ppm
Aroma: Perfumed | Noble | Dark. Dark cherry, sweet red strawberry, cherry wood, terracotta, Strega, orange zest, zabaglione and dark spice. More tar than roses.
Flavour: Varietal | Pulsating | Shameless. A classic roman legionaire full of bravado and ready for a long march. Superbly medium-bodied; fresh raspberry, fennel fronds, chinotto and porchetta surrounded by plums, finishing with delicate citrus.
Texture: Energetic waves of grapey tannin that are toothsome and leathery on the mid palate before climbing accross the back palate and crashing in to a classicly long finish. The definition of naturaly derived and varietal tannin.
Cellar: Drink now or keep for ten.

The Winefront review by Gary Walsh

Published on 1 September 2025

2019 CAPO Nebbiolo

"The greatest wines I have ever tried have been difficult to describe, it’s as though words aren’t enough." - SCP

Vineyard: Protero, Kenton Valley Road, Gumeracha, Peramangk country
Clones: Mudgee and 230, both on own roots.
Block: Block 2 planted in 1999 by Frank and Rose Baldasso and managed by Carmine Pepicelli.
Growing Season: Dramatically reduced yields due to lower-than-average rainfall set up for a winemaker’s vintage with every scrap of experience tested and measured.
Harvest: Handpicked on 17th April
Process: Both clones blended at the crusher and co-fermented in stainless steel variable capacity fermenters. Very gently pressed after 25 days on skins and a spontaneous fermentation. Transferred to an old 2800L vat, after two months settling in tank, for malolactic fermentation.
Maturation: Returned to vat for extended maturation.
Bottled: Bottled without fining or filtration on 27th July 2021.
Alc: 14.5% | Ph: 3.64 | TA: 6.1
Aroma: Voluminous | Classical | Mystical. Cherry, licorice, forest walks, black tea, savoury spice, rosehips and other classic Nebbiolo aromas that flit in and out of frame before they can be processed and recorded. There’s wizardry here.
Flavour: Continental | Wise | Composed. Cranberry, fennel, porchetta, black tea, Australian sandalwood, blood orange pith, red currant, vanilla spice, Cynar, Chinotto, strudel cherries and walnut. With a little air, fresh leather, praline and rosehip jelly. Tastes like the movement of time and place, a witness to history.
Texture: Layers of complexity and mouthfeel. The tannins come in gentle waves and the flavours bubble and unfurl with the texture. It’s difficult to determine where the fruit flavours end and the tannin flavours take over on the insanely long finish.
Cellar: We think it has the potential to keep well for 15+ years in a cool, dark cellar.

'In Australian winemaking circles there are few that know nebbiolo like Steve Pannel, so expectation here is high. And my word, it delivers. It's almost skittish in its tannin profile, stellar in its tension. Sits at medium weight, but the underlying freshness makes it lighter, dare we say ethereal. Dark chocolate, dark cherry, dried herbs, anise, blood orange and amaro-like botanicals and bitterness in tow. Pulverised granite minerality sits in the mix, as does the emery board-finesse of that tannin profile, rippling with authority and driving the wine long and to a fine, succulent point. It's outstanding, and a torchbearer for the variety in Australia.'

95 Points