2023 The Little Wine Company Sangiovese, Hunter Valley

This has aromas of red cherries, bay leaves, oranges and aniseed. It’s fresh and crisp with a medium body and fine tannins. Vegan. Why wait? Drink now. 

90 points Claire Nesbitt for James Suckling, January 2025

Ian and Suzanne Little are both winemakers, both Hunter Valley through and through, and genuinely equal partners in every sense — a combination that's rarer in Australian wine than you might think. Ian has been making wine in the region for over 40 years, while Suzanne oversaw white wines at Rosemount during the era when the local Roxburgh Chardonnay was the benchmark for the variety in Australia. Between them they bring serious credentials to a project that wears them lightly. The Little Wine Company has quietly become one of the Hunter Valley's most interesting producers, built around alternative varieties, made with a light hand and an instinct for balance over extraction.

Sangiovese has been grown in the Hilltops region around Young in southern New South Wales for decades — the altitude, continental climate and cold nights make it one of the better addresses for the variety in Australia. The Littles source their fruit from here for good reason: Hilltops Sangiovese tends toward the fresher, more structured end of the spectrum, which suits their style well.

At the winery, around 30% of the juice was bled off early to make the Sangiovese Rosé — a technique that concentrates what remains in the fermenter. The rest was fermented on skins for 10 days before pressing to one and two-year-old French barriques, with frequent racking to aerate and soften the tannins.

Sweet cherry, bay leaf and a hint of orange on the nose with smoky chocolate, leather and mushroom adding savoury depth. The palate is medium-bodied and fresh with fine tannins and a crisp, dry finish.

The wine's acidity and fine tannins cut through richness without effort: a slow-cooked lamb ragu with pappardelle, a wood-fired margherita with good mozzarella, or grilled eggplant with tomato, basil and aged pecorino.

This is a wine that's better on the table tonight than in the rack next year. Drink now through 2027.