Product Information:
Dave Fletcher's love for a certain northern Italian grape dates back to 2004, while attending a master class run by some Italian wine importers an Italian beauty walked into Dave’s life and changed everything. Enter Nebbiolo. He has since moved his whole family to Barbaresco to pursue his dream of making world-class Nebbiolo wines from the slopes of Barolo and Barbaresco.
For The Minion Nebbiolo, Dave makes the pilgrimage back to Australia each year to make a local expression. He takes all he's learnt during his time in Italy and turns that experience on the best fruit he can find in Victoria. The resulting wine is almost black, savoury and powerful. Australian Nebbiolo done well. He de-stems the grapes, ferments them separately per region before blending, then sets it to age in old barriques.
Maker:
Many feel the wine road inevitably leads to Burgundy, and for many it does, but for some, the final stop is the Langhe hills of Piemonte. It is here that Nebbiolo is the torchbearer of quality delivering a transcendent experience as high as any to be found in food and wine.
David Fletcher's self professed obsession with the Nebbiolo, so much so he resides in Barbaresco where he is completely surrounded by it. David's an Australian by birth and that means he started as an outsider amongst the hills of the Langhe, but he's feeling a little more at home now. My addiction to Nebbiolo has taken him on a ride beyond his imagination. David started making wine from the day he left school, and even though he didn't inherit a winery or watch predecessors work the vines, it's been an uncontrollable passion for as early as he can remember. To cut a long story short, he was first introduced to Nebbiolo back in 2004.... 10 years later, he's living amongst the vines in Italy, making wine in the old train station of Barbaresco, and enjoying the positive feedback from my customers that keeps him striving to aim higher.
In recent years the production has somewhat diverted from only Nebbiolo, and what started with just Barolo and Barbaresco has now grown into 10 wines that are produced from 12 different vineyard sites. Staying in touch with his roots David still makes one wine in Australia too, which is a unique expression of Australian Nebbiolo. Overall, the production is compact, with no more than 25,000 bottles that are mostly allocated, making highly sought.
Philosophy:
David works with certified organic vineyards and sites that are under conversion. He is a big proponent for organic farming, always striving for better health and lower impact for the vines and their surroundings. Cognisant of the increasing mono-culture in the Langhe, David offsets the land used for grape production with ownership of the equivalent area in Forest, swamp and grasslands rich in biodiversity.
With regards to winemaking, David considers himself lucky to be making wines in the Langhe and even luckier he has no legacy to follow. Giving him the freedom to play and deconstruct tradition, all in an attempt to start afresh without any boundaries. He's on a constant search for great vineyards, and always trying to make wines that give a sense of passion and place. Wines are derived from spontaneous ferments with a 'pied de cuve' method. Use old wood with a minimum age of 10 years and in the form of Barriques not Botte...preferring to work in small batches rather than bulking wines up early and each barrique has its own personality which adds to the complexity of the wines. No filtering or fining takes place. Not all the wines will be produced each year, as nature dictates most of what can be produced. So if you see one you like it's always a good idea to snap it up.
Nose - Cherry, Gum Leaf, Cured Meats
Signature of Nebbiolo is here, but also Victoria too, cherry fruit spectrum with hints of rosemary and eucalyptus.
Palate - Sappy, Orange Tang, Dark Cherry
The palate is drying and quite tannic, with a certain savouriness and firmness.
Finish - Gummy Tannins, Savoury, Baking Spices
A little nougat and spice, a sappy and orange juice tang, a little drag of tannin and a pretty decent finish.
(2016) Signature of Nebbiolo is here, but also Victoria too, with plenty of gum leaf and such. Cherry, a little nougat and spice, a sappy and orange juice tang, a little drag of tannin and a pretty decent finish, albeit slightly sour-edged with gummy tannin. Nice drink mind you. Has appeal. - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front.
(2015) Youthful and just mid crimson. Proper Nebbiolo nose with hints of rosemary and eucalyptus. Wonderful, light crunchy tannins and wonderful lightness and freshness on the finish. - Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson.
(2016) Medium to light red colour with a brick tinge. The aroma is herbal with a tinge of greenness, and a meaty reductive edge. The palate is drying and quite tannic, with a certain savouriness and firmness, but just a bit lacking in the charm department. - Huon Hooke, The Real Review.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Nebbiolo
Country - Australia
Region - Victoria
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%
