Kangarilla Road Sangiovese 2008

Kangarilla Road Sangiovese 2008 nice Aussie slant on this Italian varietal - Wine Spectator 90 pts

Tasting Notes

Kevin O’Brien and his wife Helen bought a 30 acre property that was called Stevens Cambrai in 1997 and renamed it Kangarilla Road. Located in the northern part of McLaren Vale at McLaren Flat, this is an area higher up in elevation and therefore the fruit from the original plantings around the winery ripen later than most in the area, giving the resulting wines a brighter pitch to the flavor profile. Blessed with an abundance of old vine fruit to draw from, the 30 acre vineyard was planted in 1975, Kevin has established the Kangarilla Road label as one of the best values in terms of consistency in quality and pricing from the Vale since the label’s inception. Although most grapes for this wine come from the original vineyards in McLaren Flat, other vineyards are sourced as well to complement the range of wines, predominantly red, that Kangarilla Road produces. Sangiovese as a varietal is fairly new to Australia, but the results at this early stage has shown some very positive signs that it can work well in certain areas. The Mclaren Vale region of South Australia with its distinctive Mediterranean climate seems to be one such region that this central Italian grape can guarantee proper fruit ripening without going to far over the top and showing prune/cooked fruit. Offering ripe red fruit flavors countered with the varietals natural tendency for good balancing acidity without excessive weight makes this an interesting change to what many have tried out of Italy. This was reviewed by the wine Spectator a while back where it was given a 90 Pt score, where they said, “Vibrant and light on its feet, this is juicy and distinctive for its plum and pomegranate fruit and floral white pepper overtones, lingering on the open-textured finish against refined tannins.

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

90 pts Wine Spectator 6/30/10
Vibrant and light on its feet, this is juicy and distinctive for its plum and pomegranate fruit and floral white pepper overtones, lingering on the open-textured finish against refined tannins. Drink now through 2013.

Price

SKU

Varietal

$17.99

9207

Other Red