2022 Primo Estate Zamberlan Cabernet Sauvignon Sangiovese, McLaren Vale

What colour! Very deep blue-black-purple of great concentration. A nose of black ink, black olive, blackcurrant syrup and smoky vanillin oak has great power. It's very much driven by deeply concentrated, over-ripe cabernet fruit and sweet oak, but sangiovese's savouriness isn't totally lost. It stops short of too porty or jammy, but only just. The palate tracks long and potently flavoured with a great wall of tannins in support. Power plus. 18 JAN 2024 Drink 2026–2039

90 points RKP therealreview.com

It was winemaker Joe Grilli’s father-in-law, Rinaldo Zamberlan, who suggested making a unique, complex red using the Northern Italian 'Ripasso' technique. Rinaldo’s other suggestion, making Grappa, will have to wait!

To create this wine using the Ripasso technique, newly fermented Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon juice is poured over the dried grape skins from our flagship red, the JOSEPH Moda, for additional fermentation. The new wine is then pressed and barrel aged for 12 months. The end result is a full bodied and rich red with succulent cassis fruit notes over chocolate and tobacco. The Sangiovese gives the wine a savoury finish with a burst of cherry fruit character.