2016 Ruggabellus Timaeus

About
Reviews (1)
Additional Info
Delivery Information
Pricing & Discounts

Levity in red wine. Come hither stuff.

Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

About The Wine

The detail involved in an Abel Gibson blend is second to none, the finesse and craftsmanship comes to the fore in a warmer vintage like 2016.

Timaeus is the Grenache-dominant blend in the Ruggabellus stable. It's a lither, more streamlined wine than some of the Shiraz or Mataro blend siblings.

Built on fine bones of tannin and a refreshing backbone of acidity, this is a beaytiful modern expression of a Rhone-styled blend from the Barossa Valley.

Gorgeous stuff, and as with all of the Ruggabellus wines, rare as hen's teeth.

About Ruggabellus

Ruggabellus - meaning 'rugged beauty' - is one of the breakaway producers of the much written about 'New Barossa' movement.

A deep connection to the land of the Barossa Valley underpins Abel Gibson's winery. Raised amongst the vines of the Barossa, the cellars of Penfolds and Rockford, with the guidance of local wine legends such as Charlie Melton and his father Rob Gibson, Abel has carved a unique path for his brand.

Ruggabellus focuses on sensitive blends of old vine Syrah, Mataro, Grenache and Cinsault from great old vineyards with freshness and vitality always the key. Oak is never new. Additions are minimal.

The 'whites' are some of the country's finest examples of skin contact 'amber' wines. The variations on Riesling, Muscat and Semillon that are entirely world class. These are rare and truly authentic Australian wines.

Abel Gibson and hound roaming amongst the vines
Barossa Valley, SA

Reviews

Critic Reviews

93Points

The Wine Front

"The grapes came on a little earlier than expected, with Timaeus threatened by some higher alcohol potential in vineyards (and some parcels have been dropped accordingly, due to additional ripeness/flavour/alcohol). It is 76% grenache, 12% syrah, 7% mataro, 5% cinsault. Detailed winemaking to get to that very precise blend. I would love to see the process live. Plush, velvety red of easy seduction, round tannins, good extension of sweet-spicy fruit flavours. Scents of dark plum, black olive, wild mint, warm pavement. The palate set to darker fruit but riding on a flow of cool, fresh acidity that lifts the wine and raises drinkability. Levity in red wine. Come hither stuff." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Additional Info

From The Producer

We are keen to understand the uniquely Australian character of our wines. We use no new oak. For our reds we are attracted to vineyards that allow us to pick earlier in an effort to preserve vitality, crunch and intrigue.

Our wines range from 10% to 100% whole bunch and all wine movements are done using gravity. We nearly always harvest on ‘fruit’ days. All ferments are unseeded and allowed to progress naturally. All wines are bottled under screw cap. We sincerely hope they become a valuable contribution to the evolving nature of Australian wine.

Blend : Grenache (76%), Syrah (12%), Mataro (7%), Cinsault (5%)
ABV : 13.6%
Closure : Screw cap
Drink Until : 2026
Bottle Size : 750ml

Abel Gibson hard at work
Barossa Valley, SA

Delivery Information

CHRISTMAS AUSTRALIA POST DELIVERY CUT OFFS:
SYDNEY METRO - 20th December
NSW REGIONAL / BRISBANE & SUNSHINE COAST / MELBOURNE - 19th December
ADELAIDE / VIC REGIONAL - 18th December
TAS / SA / QLD / PERTH - 17th December

Delivery is Free for any order over $150 or more, or just $9 for any orders of $149 or less. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mix pack!

Estimated delivery time frames with Australia Post can be viewed here. Please include Authority to Leave instructions in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout if you may not be available to sign for your delivery and would like it left at your front door. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the cart page before the final checkout page.

Warehouse Pickup is also available for Sydney customers, 8am-5pm Monday to Friday. To select Warehouse Pickup as your shipping method enter our address "F5A, 42 Wattle St, Ultimo, 2007" as your shipping address during checkout. Please complete your purchase online before visiting us as we are not licensed to sell over the counter. A useful map on how to find us can be viewed here.

Express Delivery is available for Sydney postcodes within 15km of the CBD. There is a $10 delivery surcharge and the order is needs to be placed before 3pm weekdays for same day delivery. A list of eligible postcodes can be viewed here.

Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.

Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here

For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..

Pricing & Discounts

Everyday Low & Consistent Pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll match it (policy here). We'll even retrospectively refund you if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on.

We Also Offer Volume Discounts. It works like this:

ORDERS OVER $149 GET FREE SHIPPING

ORDERS OVER $299 GET A $20 DISCOUNT

ORDERS OVER $499 GET A $40 DISCOUNT

ORDERS OVER $999 GET A $100 DISCOUNT

This will all be automatically applied to your cart during the checkout process. So for example, if you create a cart with a total of $310, your final price at checkout will be $290. The discount will generally be applied to the first item in the cart. For very large wholesale or function orders (weddings etc) we are always happy to negotiate on a case by case basis. Don't hesitate to contact us.