Located at Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills, the site for the vineyard is unique. At an altitude of 450 - 480 metres, it is at the top of a steep and rocky slope with a north north-westerly aspect. In utilising eight-foot posts with four sets of foliage wires, many aspects of the vineyard are reminiscent of those found in nebbiolo’s native Piedmont. In 2008 we purchased some grapes for the first time, which were grown to our specifications by some old friends and equally passionate Nebbiolo aficionados at Woodside, also in the Adelaide Hills. A portion of that fruit has been used in the 2008 ARRIVO Rosato de Nebbiolo.
Colour
Bright salmon pink, with great depth and vibrancy.
Bouquet
The bouquet is delicately perfumed with notes of faded rose petal, raspberry and a hint of fennel.
Palate
The savoury palate has real weight and texture from the structural acid and grainy tannins. The finish is long, dry and mouthwatering, showing superb poise and balance.
Service
An extremely versatile wine with food or delicious on its own, served fresh and young, lightly chilled to around 8 degrees Celsius. Excellent match for antipasto; sushi and sashimi; pasta with tuna, red pepper and black olives; and creamy risotto with radicchio and duck breast.
Cellaring
We recommend that the ARRIVO Rosato di Nebbiolo is consumed young and fresh, and within two years of release.
Harvest
A textbook growing season resulted in grapes with rich vibrant flavour, gritty tannin and wonderful colour leading into the 2008 vintage. We thought the only cloud on the horizon was a possible early finish to the summer. Then, while the white wine vintage was well underway a terrific heat-wave hit Adelaide and its surrounds in early March. Under these extreme conditions, however, Nebbiolo turned out to be a star performer in the Adelaide Hills. We didn’t panic because after the heat had passed our vineyard’s leaves remained green and vibrant. With the careful use of water we coaxed the canopy back to peak performance, and the natural lateness with which Nebbiolo ripens allowed us to hand-harvest the grapes in wonderful condition on the 11th of April, the same date as our 2006 harvest, with the Woodside component also being picked in perfect condition on the 25th of April.
Wine Making
This is not simply a Saignée (juice bled from red wine ferments). All the ARRIVO Nebbiolo is picked and fermented at the same time, in a series of contemporaneous ferments, each treated differently. Of the various fermenting batches (in 2008 there were 7), most of what becomes our Rosato has a lower ratio of skins to juice volume, but importantly all of the Rosato is fermented on skins. The wine is aged on its yeast lees for a full four months, and once again in 2008 we have added a portion of the Lunga Macerazione to provide additional varietal definition, depth and structure.