The 2007 Sangiovese is a marvelous first effort and one of the better Sangioveses from Australia that I’ve tried. Deep garnet purple in color, it reveals black cherry, red plum and underbrush notes with nuances of Mediterranean herbs and stewed tea. Crisp with medium-firm fine tannins and good concentration managed with a medium body, the finish is long. Drinking well now, this wine should give pleasure through 2017+. Just 200 cases made.
Greenstone Vineyard is a new operation conceived of several wine masterminds: Mark Walpole, an Australian viticulturalist, David Gleave, an MW and importer / distributor in the UK and Alberto Antonini, an Italian winemaker. Wanting to do everything their way, ten hectares of Shiraz vines were planted in 2003 and one hectare of Shiraz in 2005 at high density (4500 vines per hectare) and at an east-west orientation, which they say offers some protection from the sun and results in “livelier” fruit. These early results are indeed promising.
