2015 Chalmers Nero d'Avola

Chalmers

Australia / Heathcote / Chalmers

BACKGROUND
The 19 000 hectares of Nero d’Avola vineyards in Sicily make the variety the principal red grape of the region where it is a workhorse variety being made into a broad range of wines from light fruity styles to ripe, rich serious reds and Sicily’s only DOCG wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria. There has been a growing interest in this variety among growers and consumers in Australia since Chalmers Nurseries imported it into Australia in the late 1990s.
WINEMAKING
The grapes are 100% de-stemmed and wild fermented in open fermenters. Fermentation typically goes for 20 days. The wine is then pressed into stainless steel tank where it undergoes natural malolactic fermentation. The wine is bottled without fining and with little or no filtration after about 6 months to retain freshness.
TASTING
Nero at its juicy, approachable best, with lovely, long flow to the raspberry and red plum palate. Undertow of tar and graphite minerality and a dusting of dry herbs. Smooth and satisfying persistence, and mouth-wateringly moreish. Exciting.

January, 2017

Ben Thomas

The Weekly Review

The major Sicilian red grape, there’s a few people making Nero d’Avola in Australia and much of it comes from the Chalmers’ vineyard in Heathcote. My goodness this is easy drinking. It’s bright and breezy in nature, but there’s complexity to the earthy raspberry, liquorice root and dark berry flavours.

January, 2017

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front

89 points

It’s a lighter-bodied, soft-skinned red with raspberry and spice-like flavours flowing effortlessly through the palate. It has just-enough-flavour and more-than-enough refreshment, a lovely combination. It’s jubey but not too sweet; it drinks like a charm.

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

About Chalmers

The Chalmers family was justly named 2014 Viticulturist of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE. Their commitment to innovation and excellence has made them a pivotal force in the Australian wine scene for more than 20 years. Bruce and Jenni began growing grapes in the 1980s, with their vineyard at Euston developing into one the largest and most diverse privately owned vineyards in the country. Their nursery business was responsible for importing a selection of around 70 new clones and varieties, many of which are now used in the production of Chalmers' Italian variety wines. Since selling the original vineyard in 2008 the family has established two new sites: one in Heathcote, henceforth responsible for all Chalmers wines, and one at Merbein where the family will continue to experiment with new varieties and clones. Very much a family concern, daughters Kim and Tennille are now driving this exciting business forward.

About

Kim studied at the University of Adelaide before joining the family business. She has been director at Chalmers Wines since 2005, managing operations from the vine to the wine list. In 2011 she was awarded an AgriFoods Skills Australia Overseas Fellowship, for which she wrote a paper entitled “Hot climate wine growing, making and marketing in Southern Italy and its application in Australia”. Kim's husband, winemaker Bart van Olphen completed the family team in 2011, a year after sister Tennille joined the business full time following a 10-year career in hospitality, most recently as a sommelier. The Chalmers sisters have been pivotal in turning the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show into a major event on the wine awards calendar. In 2015 they also spearheaded 21st Century Vino, an initiative to increase awareness and expertise in Italian vine varieties grown in Australia.