2024 Coriole Sangiovese, McLaren Vale

Mulch, red cherry and dried herbs aromas lead into a core of glossy red cherry. A sinewy line of tannins embeds itself within the fruit while the acidity is crisp and lingering. It's an approachable sangiovese that should even impress the locals of Panzano. Silty tannins to finish 23 Nov 2025 2025–2030

92 points Gabrielle Poy therealreview.com

Coriole’s relationship with Sangiovese is one of the great Australian wine stories. The Lloyd family planted the variety in the 1980s when Italian grapes were still a curiosity, making Coriole a pioneer of Mediterranean varieties in McLaren Vale. The estate sits on iron rich terra rossa and sandy loams overlooking the Gulf St Vincent, where warm days ripen the fruit and cooling sea breezes preserve acidity. Decades of refinement have shaped a house style that respects Sangiovese’s Tuscan roots while embracing the Vale’s generosity. Today the wine is guided by winemaker Duncan Lloyd, who continues the family philosophy of balance, food friendliness and vineyard transparency.

Viticulture focuses on moderate yields and flavour development rather than sheer power. In the cellar, fermentation is tuned to preserve the grape’s bright red fruit and natural savoury edge. Oak is used carefully to frame the wine without masking its personality. The aim is a Sangiovese that feels authentic, structured and expressive, built for the table as much as the cellar.

Bright ruby in colour, the aromas open with sour cherry, cranberry and red plum layered with dried herbs, tomato leaf and spice. There is a lifted earthy note that nods to classic Italian character. The palate is medium bodied and finely structured, with vibrant red fruit wrapped in firm, chalky tannins and fresh acidity. Flavours of cherry, blood orange and savoury spice run long through a dry, mouthwatering finish that tightens with grip.

It pairs beautifully with pasta, pizza, grilled meats and tomato based dishes, exactly the foods the variety was born to meet. Drinking impressively now with air, it will cellar comfortably for eight to ten years, developing earthy and leathery nuance.

This is Australian Sangiovese with heritage, a bridge between Tuscany and McLaren Vale that has helped define a category.