What Holds a Moderate Sangiovese Together after Four Years?
Four years ago, a small parcel of Sangiovese fruit from Adelaide Hills went into an open top fermenter for Pawn Wine Co's 2022 vintage. It was a moderate yield year, about 5 tonnes per hectare, which is about average for the Hills, although on the lower side by Australian standards. Today, I'm looking at what factors have kept it lively after some time in the bottle.
Sangiovese is less common here than other varieties but naturally have lovely acidity and often have a bright, crunchy character. The winemaker used three clones for this wine, including a piccolo clone with small berries often treated as whole berries. This technique aims to provide a bit of carbonic fermentation character and more mid-palate structure due to the different skin-to-juice ratio from the small berries.
This wine was aged for nine months in older American oak barrels. The second-hand barrels add subtlety, a touch of vanilla and spice, without overwhelming the fruit. Even with a little oak sweetness, the fruit remains crisp and lifted. It’s not trying to be rich or heavy; it’s lean but has energy and spice.
When I poured the wine, I noticed the fresh cranberry, plums and red cherry, with a crunchy, almost savory edge, subtle florals, and a hint of grilled meat on the finish. It retains the fresh acidity, especially typical of a cool vintage Sangiovese, which likely helps keep everything together, making it versatile with food or enjoyable on its own.
Probably derived mainly from the Piccolo clone, the fine tannins are supportive and not drying. I believe this structure is linked to the cooler vintage, the partial whole berry fermentation, and the use of older oak, which prevents excessive tannin buildup.
Overall, this wine has an easy-drinking style yet enough complexity to keep you interested. It reflects thoughtful choices in the winemaking process. The moderate yields and cool season likely prevented overripe fruit, while the selected clones and fermentation approach contributed to its natural weight. The oak adds nuance without competing with the fruit.
Looking at this bottle now, although only four and a half years on, I would not have expected it to have strayed far from that fresh, crunchy profile. Obviously over longer periods of time, some wines do soften completely or lose energy with time, but this one still has life and balance and should have for a few more years to come.
It's also interesting how subtle the oak remains as a primary background flavor. Younger American barrels can leave more pronounced notes, although here the older oak provides just a breath of vanilla sweetness rounding things out. This restraint supports the idea that oak ought to balance rather than dominate.
This experience emphasises the importance of small but crucial decisions in winemaking: clone selection, berry size, fermentation style, yield management, and aging approach all shape the wine beyond its early fruit phase. Those choices contribute to the wine's longevity.
Moderate yields and partial whole berry fermentation here illustrate the kind of practical decisions we focus on at Smidge to preserve fresh acidity and fine tannin structure without over-extraction or heavy oak influence.
So while this is a wine of moderate complexity, it stands as a practical and honest expression of place and process. As winemakers, we are always learning and this has given me useful insights as I think about wines in barrel at Smidge, particularly in how to manage the balancing acts of winemaking to keep wines enjoyable now and in the future.