• About Me – Andrew Graham
  • Scoring
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy + Disclaimer
  • Beer

  • About Me – Andrew Graham
  • Scoring
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy + Disclaimer
  • Beer

A question of numbers: Kirrihill Clare Nebbiolo 2012

December 22, 2013

Kirrihill Clare Valley Nebbiolo 2012 (Clare Valley, SA)
12%, Screwcap, $28
Source: Sample
www.kirrihillwines.com.au

What a curious little wine this is.

‘A quiet type’ according to the releases notes, with ‘elegance and restraint’, this is surprisingly juicy initially, yet also herbal, carrying dry, unripe and stark tannins. Driven by fresh acidity and built in a light-medium style, the overarching impression here is of something rather underdone and lacking in fruit generosity and power – it just falls away.

What’s curious is the figures behind it.

The most notable point is the alcohol percentage – 12%. That’s a Riesling number, not full-bodied Nebbiolo. Even the more elegant styles of mid-weight Langhe Neb never under 13% alcohol…

Digging deeper the Kirrihill website notes that the fruit for this was picked in April (which is towards the end of the 2012 vintage, but normal for a late ripener like Nebbiolo), with the finished wine having a pH of 3.45 and a TA 7.4g/L.That acidity and pH is pretty typical of ripe Clare reds (that have had a slight acid adjustment), but the alcohol is a complete anomaly. If the fruit was ‘ripe’ that alcohol would be closer to 13.5%-14.5% (maybe 13% at the lowest in certain vineyards, but you’d expect a different set of TA and pH figures then). Conversely, if the fruit was picked early, you might expect a lower pH too.

The question then is – how did this wine end up with such disparate numbers? The simplest answer may lie in the site, which is apparently rather cool and elevated, perhaps suggesting fruit that was never properly sugar-ripe in the first place, picked because it had to be.

Such a situation is backed up by the herbal edge and raw tannins, suggestive of the oft-repeated challenge with ripening Nebbiolo. The elevated pH could be linked with yield issues (too high) or too much vigour/canopy problems (leading to shaded fruit).

Conversely, this could have been put through an RO machine to remove excess alcohol (which would explain the pH and TA), though again the herbal edge works against that.

Finally, it could just be an unusual wine numbers-wise. Nebbiolo is a relatively unknown beast in Australia, and the source for this would probably be a young vineyard (likely 15 years old at the very maximum) with younger vineyards known for occasionally throwing up unusual results.

Ultimately I’m just being presumptuous here, looking at numbers alone – which mean nothing when the wine ‘works’. But this doesn’t it – this tastes just as odd as the numbers suggest..

Drink: 2013-2015
Score: 14.5/20, 83/100
Would I buy it? No.

(I use inklpay in lieu of a paywall. A small tip goes a long way to finally paying for hosting!)

Related Posts:

  • Kirrihill Sangiovese 2012
  • Kirrihill Grenache Sangiovese Tempranillo 2012
  • Out of Step Wine Co. Pyrenees Nebbiolo 2013
  • Nebbiolo Files: 3 more (challenging) Aussies

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Reddit
  • Print
2012Clare ValleyNebbioloWine
Share

Wine

2 Comments


AndyPat
December 27, 2013 at 9:49 PM
Reply

is this the first vintage of this wine? it looks underdone, and perhaps the winemaking/viticulture team have their work cut out here to get the balance to make good wine. will be interesting to see future vintages



ozwinereview
December 27, 2013 at 11:27 PM
Reply

First release and completely underdone.



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Subscribe by email

    Enter your email address:

  • About me – Andrew Graham


    At 18 I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, doing a degree that I didn't really like, and a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say I discovered wine, my uni degree morphed into something completely different and wine/beer took over my life.

    Almost twenty years later and I currently spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.

    While wearing my writer cap I write features for the likes of National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS plus I'm a Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here.

  • Recent Comments

    • Nina Javez on The drinking thread: 30 smashable Australian wines (for $30 or less) I’d drink on a hot January night
    • Andrew Graham on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
    • Colin Rose on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
    • Andrew Graham on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
    • Simon Colwell on Almost Club January 2019 edition: A bumper new year of almostness inc. a $500 red
  • Categories

    • Beer
    • Wine
  • Archives

  • Tags

    2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Adelaide Hills Barossa Beer Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot + Blends Canberra Chardonnay Clare Valley Coonawarra Eden Valley Great Southern Grenache Shiraz + Blends Hunter Margaret River Marlborough McLaren Vale Mega Tasting Mornington Peninsula Pinot Gris Pinot Noir Pyrenees Riesling Rosé Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Shiraz Sparkling Tasmania Top Wine Value pick Wine Wine Yarra Valley



© Copyright Andrew Graham 2018

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.