Crittenden Pinnocchio Sangiovese CONFIRM VINTAGE

Sangiovese Heathcote Victoria
Pinocchio is where Garry and Rollo Crittenden have a little more fun than usual. Over the years, the awareness of Sangiovese has expanded as wine lovers begin to discover how different the Italian reds are from French varietals, enthusiasts have come to appreciate the inherent synergy between Sangiovese and food. The distinguishing character of Sangiovese should be one of savouryness and refreshing acids around an impression of morello cherry. Pinocchio will appeal to the adventurous and to red wine adherents who are looking for something new.
Crittenden's growers operate the best sites for Sangiovese in Heathcote. Grapes are completely hand harvested and transported to the winery for immediate destemming and crushing. The juices are inoculated in open fermenters and hand plunged three times a day during the early stages, followed by twice daily plunges as the wine approaches completion. Pinocchio is pressed off skins at full dryness to a mixture of three and four year old barrels. Crittenden avoids the use of new oak for Italian varietals as the sweet, sappy oak characters detract from the natural structure and savouryness of fruit. After a year's maturation, Pinocchio is brought out for a filtration before bottling. Alcohol 13.5%
Bright red colour. Delicate violet fragrances, orange peel and plum nose. Spiced leather, cherry and blueberry flavours on a medium bodied structure supported by brisk, arid tannins and framed by judicious background oak. There is no sweetness on the mid palate such as you might expect from fruity styles of red wine. The finish is admirably long and tart with a refreshing spine of acidity over firm drying tannins.
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The Mornington Peninsula was scarcely associated with wine when Garry planted his first vines at Dromana in 1982.

As a key figure in the region's pioneering wave of vignerons, Garry was instrumental in forging for the Peninsula a reputation as a distinguished producer of cool climate wine.

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From the outset, he recognized the area's climatic suitability to the Burgundian varieties of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and set about confirming it through meticulous viticulture and sophisticated winemaking techniques.

Consistent with the reputation of Dromana Estate's wines was its development into one of the Peninsula's leading wine tourism destinations, where stylish, handcrafted wines were matched with good food and warm, generous hospitality.

And with a thirst for exploring new horizons and charting unexplored territory, Garry also went on to create two other brands drawing on grapes from other premium regions of Victoria. The first, Schinus, remains a favourite among consumers in Australia and abroad. Garry also helped to pioneer the production of Italian varietals in Australia with his ground-breaking Garry Crittenden I range.

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At a time when awareness of such varieties was barely at an embryonic stage, he helped to bring about an increasingly widespread appreciation of varietals such as Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Arneis.

Garry Crittenden has returned as a dedicated small scale vigneron with an exciting new series of handcrafted wines. A leading figure in the Australian wine industry for 25 years, Garry was the founder and chief winemaker of the renowned Dromana Estate, now a publicly-listed company.

The property formerly known as Dromana Estate is now the base for Garry's new winemaking operations, as well as home to Stillwater Restaurant, owned and operated by acclaimed chef Zac Poulier.

Garry's portfolio now spans estate-grown, cool climate wines of Burgundian origin, new and exciting Italian varietals and other regional classics from both the Mornington Pensinsula and further afield from some of north-east Victoria's finest vineyards.

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