From the Abruzzo region of Italy comes this delicious varietal now made in Kyneton
Possibly the best montepulciano I’ve seen made in this country.
Opportunity can be found in the unlikeliest of places if you allow yourself to stumble into the pits in which it lurks. The boys from Bruno & George, a small, newish label formed by three mates (none of them called Bruno or George), have done just that. Bruce Blackwell, Christian Roediger and Josh Norman had an abundance of vintage experience around the world, and they shared a nagging interest in a variety that had regularly filled their glasses but never stained their winemaking hands: montepulciano. They’d established their label on the Barossa staples they’d virtually bathed in as babies – shiraz, grenache, mataro – but curiosity and a desire to do something different drove them down the montepulciano path.
Google the name and you’ll most likely be taken to a Tuscan town. You might think the vineyards surrounding that town would be the logical place to find the grape that shares the name. You’d be wrong. Those vineyards are full of the sangiovese grape used to produce Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The vineyards of montepulciano are mostly in Abruzzo and the Marche. And, fortuitously for these monte-loving mates, in a pocket of the Eden Valley.
The Hearnden family worked out they had eight rows that were a little different in their shiraz vineyard near Keyneton, and it turned out those eight rows are actually montepulciano. They’re not sure when they were planted; by previous owners in the mid-’80s is the best guess.
Josh was the one who discovered it. He and his father took the fruit and each made a bit of wine from it, as a bit of sport in a competitive family. The results were so promising that Josh and his mates took the lot the next year for Bruno & George. They produce two wines in tiny quantities: one that celebrates the plush juiciness of the variety, and another with bigger, bolder ambitions.
BRUNO & GEORGE EDEN VALLEY MONTEPULCIANO 2021
$65
Vibrantly juicy, gently sappy, fresh and taut. It ripples with dry red cherries, some dark clovey spice and a whiff of the charcuterie cabinet. Beautiful balance and poise. Possibly the best montepulciano I’ve seen made in this country. 13% alcohol, 95 points
BRUNO & GEORGE EDEN VALLEY MONTEPULCIANO 2022
$65
Dried raspberry, some persimmon piquancy, rubbed herb and cured meat. A dried rose floral note that hovers gently above the glass. It’s tight and taut, yielding just enough dark fruited flesh to flow across the palate and taper through the grip of very fine, dusty tannins.
12.5% alcohol, 94 points
BRUNO & GEORGE ‘DRAININGS’ MONTEPULCIANO 2021
$150
The more ambitious approach, a single barrel of imposing new oak. Black cherry and stewed tea; some dark earthy notes. There’s a slightly hairy meatiness lurking here, like stumbling into a hunter’s hut deep in the woods then hearing the door click closed behind you. Firm tannins, a black olive dryness. The oak may be a bit much for some, not so for others.
13.5% alcohol, 92 points