A great food wine! Well suited to an antipasto platter or Italian meatballs. This is our inaugural Paulmara Sangiovese, after supplying fruit to Penfolds for 22 years for their Cellar Reserve Sangiovese. Which our winemaker Jason Barrette used to make!

Vintage Conditions
The 2020 growing season was dry with winter and spring rains being well below average. Flowering unfortunately was interrupted with frosts and very strong winds, coupled with very cold nights. December was hot and dry with 11 days over 35C and 8 days over 40C. As a result, bunch size was below average with smaller than normal berry size. A mild February with approximately 20mm of rain on 1st February slowed down phenological ripening allowing us to hang the grapes to ensure full flavour ripeness, whilst retaining natural acidity. Yields across the board were down between 50-80% depending on the vineyard. Wines produced, have saturated colours, intense aromatics and great flavour concentration and length. Overall an exceptional year!

Vineyard Selection
A 2-hectare plot of Sangiovese H6V9 clone vines were planted in 1995 on the Georgiadis Estate. The soil is sand over yellow clay with scattered ironstone buckshot. Great attention to detail on vine management with detail pruning and shoot thinning every year. One bunch per lignified shoot with smaller bunch configuration than most Sangiovese. Grown to an upright canopy with large antlers replicating a goblet system. Moisture monitoring to apply water at critical times.

Winemaking
The Sangiovese was hand-picked at optimal flavour and phenological ripeness and delivered straight to the winery for processing. The grapes were destemmed and whole berries transferred by gravity to a single stainless fermenter with heading down boards to keep the resultant cap submerged. Spontaneous fermentation was initiated by the native yeasts present on the bunches from the vineyard. Twice daily pumpovers were conducted to extract colour, flavour and tannins from the grape skins. At the completion of fermentation, the wine on skins was covered and post-ferment maceration was carried out. Every other day the wine was tasted to see the development of texture and mouthfeel. After 49 days on skins the free-run wine was drained and skins pressed to older oak barrels for 12 months. Native malolactic fermentation occurred in fermenter. This wine has had no additions and is unfined and unfiltered.