2025 Fiano

Voted in the Judge's Top 6: "Johansson, Infimo and Parkhill each selected this wine in their top six from the blind tasting, praising its clarity, varietal definition and expressive aromatics. Johansson called it “an elegant, varietal example of fiano at its best,” led by “fresh peach and lemon aromas” with deeper notes of “grapefruit zest, lemon blossom, ocean spray, quince, pear, wet stone and rhubarb,” and a palate that showed “a slightly richer body balanced by zesty acidity and a salty, rounded finish.” Infimo noted its “yellow spectrum” of aromas – “wattle, chamomile, perfumed hay, Golden Delicious, spiced quince and ripe nectarine” – alongside a “lightly honeyed quality and lovely woody notes.” He described the palate as “firm and energetic,” with good extract, acidity and “a pleasant dustiness on the finish” giving it a “spicy and savoury” twist. Parkhill saw it as “a masterclass in extracting aromatic impact from fiano,” with “vivid ripe yellow peach leaping from the glass,” a “sweet ripe fruit profile” on the palate, and “crystalline acidity and gossamer texture” driving a long finish touched by “the tiniest little pinch of sea salt.” For him, it stood out as “the very best of the ‘polished and clean’ school of fiano we saw on the day.” A textbook and crowd-pleasing fiano, immaculately composed yet full of charm."

This is more complex than your average bear. It's rich in grapefruit, lemon and pear-like flavours, but then it's also aflame with struck match and citrus rind characters. There's a power to this wine, an insistence. It's excellent. Campbell Mattinson