From two of De Bortoli’s Rutherglen vineyards, Shelley’s and Melville’s. Cold soaked fruit before fermentation. Short amount of maturation time (10 months) in older French and American oak hogheads and puncheons. Winemaker is Marc Scalzo.

De Bortoli, One Line, Sangiovese, Rutherglen, 2024

Ruby to garnet hue. Cherries on the stalk, pulped strawberries, licorice all sorts, cinnamon spice, hessian, soft chocolate, tomato leaf and mixed ‘Italian dried herbs.’ A little chewy tannin gives some welcome toothful-ness to cherry and strawberry. There’s plenty of ripe Australian flesh up front and through the middle before that drying tannin follows through the tail. No disguising how it’s going to roll: match it with a big bowl of spaghetti Bolognese and you’re on a safe bet.

RRP: $21.95
Alc: 14%
Rating: 90/100

Wine sample courtesy of De Bortoli