Posted on 08 February 2024.
This is Sam Taylor’s passion project, and like any knowledgeable wine chap, he seems to gravitate towards Nebbiolo. A good bloke is Sam, although, gee, he swears a lot. Also, I didn’t know he had a winemaking background, so that’s interesting to me. A man of many talents, no doubt. The grapes come from Longview’s Block 3, planted in 1997.
Strawberry, raspberry, a little dusty spice, quite some perfume of roses and mint. Some liquorice emerges given time in glass. It’s medium-bodied, red fruit and raw almond, a little bit juicy, but firm tea-like tannin shapes and controls the wine to excellent effect. Acidity is on point, and while there’s a slight ripe tomato character, it kind of adds rather than subtracts (in a Xinomavro kind of way). The finish is long and trails with firm dusty tannin. It’s distinctly Adelaide Hills in character (good!) but has the signature of quality Nebbiolo throughout. Excellent. Or as Sam might say “It’s f*cking good!”
Rated : 94 Points
Tasted : Feb24
Alcohol : 14.5%
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2024 - 2032+
Notes.
The Nebbiolo fruit comes from Longview's Block 3, which is best known for Shiraz, but has a few rows of Nebbiolo too, planted back in 1997. This has classic, cool Nebbiolo vibes - it's medium-bodied, fresh and bright, with a gentle rasp of tannin offering subtle grip and spiced strawberry flavours. Look for raspberry and more spice on the finish. Nailed it.
An inimitable mix of wine knowledge and classic Aussie bloke, Sam Taylor is a wine maker and merchant based in Adelaide. This is his first wine, and boy are we excited! Sam runs one of the best wine shops in Australia, the Edinburgh Cellars, and also drinks widely and well, informing both his palate and his mind. This Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo is the fruits of his labour - years of work tasting and thinking about Nebbiolo. So Abbeville isn’t the vineyard name - in fact the fruit is from Longview Vineyard block 3. Abbeville stems from Sam's grandfather, who studied winemaking and grew up in the Clare Valley. He had a background in farming but also commercial agricultural land valuation. He travelled a lot and spent time on many of the great vineyards of SA and Victoria. The first house he built was on Abbeville Terrace in Marion, down the road from the urban Patritti vineyard. Sam's dad was born in that house, and he now owns it. A story right out of the aussie wine archives. Cheers Sam.
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