Longview Della Casa Nebbiolo 2018

Dried florals, all-spice and cherry aromas jump out of the glass; the palate is medium bodied and complex, with supple fruit, a slight savory edge and of course, refreshing acidity in concert with dusty tannin.

Winemaking

The oldest, continuously produced Nebbiolo site in South Australia, Longview’s blocks are mostly all on North facing slopes with vine rows running north/south. With a micro- climate perfectly suited to Nebbiolo, the variety does well on the shallow, clay-loam soils which sit below impermeable ironstone and quartz. 

These profiles aid in controlling vigour and yield and with warm days followed by cool sea-breezes at night, even, long ripening is ensured. All fruit was hand-picked to minimise fruit damage, then open-fermented on skins for 21 days. 

After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged in 6 and 7 year-old French Puncheons for 14 months and bottled immediately to capture the brightness of this stunning vintage 

All Nebbiolo picked in 2018 was startlingly good and true to variety. A near perfect vintage. The season started with ample soil moisture and even temperatures, enabling early spring growth followed by ideal flowering conditions in late October/early November. Weather remained warm through summer with few heat spikes and Longview’s trademark cool nights during the growing season. This prolonged the ripening period and enabled excellent fruit flavour development with lovely, chewy skins. Dry conditions towards the end of harvest minimised disease pressure and ensured even bunch ripening; optimal conditions for the finnicky, late- ripening Nebbiolo.