2017 Single Vineyard Nebbiolo

Varietals: Nebbiolo

Clones: CVT CN 230, Mat 10, Mat 3

Harvest: 18 April 2017

On Skins: 120 Days

Oak Regime: 500l Seasoned Puncheons

Baume at Harvest: 12.2

pH at Harvest: 3.45

TA at Harvest: 5.0

The Yarra Valley with its hot but short summer and cool nights throughout could be the ideal location for Nebbiolo. After some research, we planted several clones on a north-west slope to give the large purple bunches every opportunity to ripen slowly in the autumn breeze. We handpicked the fruit and fermented the juice in tank. After fermentation, we left the wine on skins for 120 days to help soften the tannins. We then racked the wine to seasoned puncheons (500l Barrels) where it aged gracefully for 24 months.

[2017 Vintage] – 90 Points by Mike Bennie, The Winefront, March 2021

[2017 Vintage] – 94 Points by Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion 2021

[2017 Vintage] – 91 Points by Nick Butler, The Real Review March 2020

[2016 Vintage] – 5 Stars by Winestate Magazine Aug/Sept 2020

[2016 Vintage] – 91 Points by James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2020

[2016 Vintage] – Bronze Medal at 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards

[2016 Vintage] – Bronze Medal at 2018 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards

[2015 Vintage] – 90 Points by James Halliday 2018 Wine Companion

[2015 Vintage] – 96 Points & #1 2015 Nebbiolo in Australia by Huon Hooke

[2015 Vintage] – Gold Medal at 2017 Victorian Wine Show

[2015 Vintage] – Bronze Medal at 2017 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show

[2015 Vintage] – Silver Medal at 2017 Melbourne International Wine Competition

“Dark berries, kirsch, cedary wood (quite strong), earthy, sage and dill notes – big perfume. Flavours are strong too, robust, woody spice, dark berries, maraschino, mushroom and ashy notes. Dries out quickly to the finish. Pushing into dry red characters, and quite brutish in its approach, though some will appreciate that. Quite one speed. 90 Points.”
Mike Bennie, The Winefront, Mar 2021 (2017 Vintage)

“Delightful light red in colour, alluring aromas of rose petals, florals and a hint of tobacco leaf, gorgeous palate with stacks of red berry flavours & a tight grippy but subtle finish- A great food wine. SUPERB!!”
Dan Traucki, Mar 2021 (2017 Vintage)

“The classic Italian grape of Barolo and Barbaresco is given an Australian makeover with this Yarra Valley red, from Soumah’s Hexham vineyard, with its distinctive rose and savoury characters, a touch of violet and tobacco leaf, with long, fine firm tannins which belie its pale colour. This is definitely one to cellar for five years or more, at which stage it should be a lovely match for Mediterranean style lamb dishes. 95 Points.”
Mike Frost, Mar 2021 (2017 Vintage)

“Deepish tawny-red colour with no purple remaining. The bouquet is oaky: toasty-cedary, with a dried animal-skin undertone. The palate is medium to full-bodied with very drying tannins. Firm finish that lingers on well. A good wine, albeit rather stern and a little forbidding. More time needed, perhaps. Or at least, hearty food with lots of protein in it. 91 Points.”
Huon Hooke, The Real Review, Feb 2021 (2017 Vintage)

“It’s one of the more impressive wines in the Soumah range. It tastes Australian but it also tastes varietal, a tick for both, with leather, rose, black cherry and woodsy spice notes aided by smoky/spicy oak. Tannin is firm and forceful but not hard; length is satisfying. 94 Points.”
Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion, August 2020 (2017 Vintage)

“Pale, though still bright garnet-red colour. Dried red roses, spicky oak, bitumen on a road-melting day. Tightly-wound and youthful, red fruits peeling off a core of tannins and spice. Loads of promise. Needs time. 91 Points.”
Nick Butler, The Real Review, March 2020 (2017 Vintage)

“A fragrant complexity of red fruits, licorice and roses and an elegant palate that is silky smooth in the mouth with good firm tannins. Drinking very well now. 5 Stars.”
Winestate Magazine, Aug/Sept 2020 (2016 Vintage)

“Estate-grown, hand-picked, fermented in tank, 100 days on skins post-ferment, thence to used puncheons for 18 months. Yes, it’s savoury, and the tannins, although fine, are insistent. On the plus side are the aromas of violets, dark spices and tar. 91 Points.”
James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, 2019 (2016 Vintage)

“Typically pale nebbiolo colour. Subdued scents of dried cherries, dried flowers and fresh blossom, touched by a lick of tarry varietal character make an interesting nose. It has succulent balance of high-toned varietal flavours that flow into a great wall of layered tannins. The tannins are big, but they don’t knock the wine out of equilibrium. 90 Points.”
Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Real Review, May 2019 (2016 Vintage)

“Lopes singled this out for high praise noting its expressive nose of “fern, savoury herbs, and dried red fruit.” She found it the “most herbaceous and green” of her picks, and remarked on its “ferrous, ironstone quality.” Altmann found it “Fine and fragrant, with some oak spice of nutmeg, sandalwood, mizunara [Japanese oak]. Cranberry and briar.” Canala said that “It’s got some presence on the palate too, fleshy acidity and quite big, flavoursome tannins. Kind of guttural, but delicious in that way.” While Lopes called it a “Serious wine with great length and structure.””
Young Gun of Wine, Spotlight on Nebbiolo/Blind Tasting, Aug 2019 [2016 Vintage]

“Lifted fragrant herbal/floral aromas and light tannin texture to the earthy fruit palate.”
2018 WINESTATE Emerging Varietal Awards – 3/5 stars [2016 Vintage]

“Medium to deep ruby-red colour with little purple tint remaining, the bouquet is nutty and rather brazil-nutty. Violets and dark fruits as well. The wine is full-bodied and dense, rich and high-extract. A weighty, concentrated nebbiolo. Very tannic and chewy and powerful. Plenty of oak but it’s harmonised. Impressive. A touch of licorice, almost an overripe element. A big wine, no shortage of concentration or tannin extraction. Long carry. Authentic nebbiolo, utterly convincing. Really quite spectacular.”
Huon Hooke – 96 points [2015 Vintage]