2023 Ravensworth Hilltops Montepulciano

92 pts
Bryan Martin's cracking example of this Italian varietal, Montepulciano. Fun to say, fun to drink.

Price:
Sale price$37.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

If you’ve ever wondered what Montepulciano could be in Australian soil with the right hands at the helm - this is your answer. Bryan Martin doesn’t miss, and here he’s given this late-ripening Italian variety the full Ravensworth treatment. Grown in the cool, elevated Hilltops region, this is a wine that embraces its varietal roots while wearing its Aussie terroir with pride.

It’s inky, deep, and dark-fruited but never heavy-handed. The nose flickers between ripe blueberries, black cherry and wild herbs, with a subtle hint of earth and cocoa - think dark fruit rolled in cracked pepper and dried oregano. The palate is supple and juicy, with that hallmark Montepulciano acidity giving it great tension and food-friendliness. There’s a gentle chew of tannin and a long, savoury tail.

Aged for two years in large-format Stockinger oak, it’s polished, not flashy. A top pick for pizza nights, long lunches, or tucking away for five to ten years.

92 points - "This has a lovely skinsy grip, resulting in freshness, cool parameters and yet vibrant red berry fruitiness underlying. Touches of new leather, alpine herbs, faint dark chocolate, a touch of red vermouth character. It’s restrained and fine boned for the variety, an elegance in its carriage of scent and flavour. Really lovely drinking ensues." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Montepulciano is the variety to grow is a less predicable but warming climate: Late ripening so we pick it in the cool autumn months; High acid so it is very stable and can hang out there a while; Thick skins that resist both sun burn and disease; has a great balance with low tannin.

This year we gave it some more time but transferring the wine after one year into one of our prized Stockinger foudre for the second year.

Large format barrels allow for gentle maturation within their thick 55mm walls without adding more oak characters so the fruit is central to the maturing wine.

A dark wine with ripe blue and black fruits, quite savoury as well, some wild herbs and hint of chocolate.

Drinks beautifully now but will cellar very well



Technical Notes
Ravensworth 2023 Montepulciano
Collection: Single site
Vintage: 2023
GI: Hilltop
Vineyard source: Grove
Harvest date: 28 April 2023
Processing: Destemmed to 1000l fermenters, plunged down daily for 4 weeks, Pressed to 500l Puncheons for one year then racked to 2000l Foudre for second year
Élevage: 2 yeras
Vessels: Puncheon, Stockinger Foudre
Vintage conditions: Very wet start, dried out somewhat but still very cool and long
Bottling date: March 2025
Production: 220 dozen
Cellaring: 5 - 10 Years
Something interesting: Not Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, that's made from Sangiovese

Price Bracket $31 to $40
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Montepulciano
Country Australia
Region Hilltops
Australian State NSW
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Critic Score 92
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

Ravensworth

Bryan Martin is one of the most creative and inquisitive winemakers we've ever met. After leaving his position as winemaker alongside Tim Kirk at Canberra regional flagbearer, Clonakilla, Bryan went full steam in on his own label Ravensworth, which has firmly hit cult status amongst collectors.

He and his wife Jocelyn have a beautiful property outside of Murrumbateman which is home to all of their excellent Estate wines and Bryan also searches surrounding vineyards and out to the Hilltops region to compile his excellent value Regional series of wines. Sustainability and an unwavering commitment to quality across the board underpin the entire operation at Ravensworth. Perhaps best known for his benchmark Shiraz Viognier and textural Rieslings, Bryan is also arguably the country's best producer of Sangiovese and is a true master of the dark art of skin-contact whites.

Bryan embodies everything we love about small artisanal Australian producers. He is humble, irreverent, committed to the pursuit of excellence and always looking to explore. Quite simply, if you see a Ravensworth wine anywhere, you should buy it.

Winemaking wizard, Bryan Martin Discover Ravensworth Wines

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