Year: 2019

Name: The Full Monte

Varietal: Montepulciano

Vineyard: Eden Valley

With more than 100 years of growing history in the family, the Bartholomaeus family have had to move with the changing demands of the wine consumer. In 2014 they grafted their approx. ¾ of their Arneis vineyard across to Montepulciano. We think Monte is very underrated and is an emerging variety in South Australia. It is particularly scarce in Barossa and as such the very small volume we produce represents around 3% of the Barossa region’s Monte. The rocky and mineral soils along with a cooler climate and higher elevation result in a relatively long ripening period and incredible acid retention (only a modest adjustment at bottling). Having tasted a couple of examples of very ripe Monte's, we wanted to mix up the winemaking style and have more contemporary take. The result is a very vibrant and complex food-friendly wine and we have continued to use the same philosophy and winemaking strategy with the block each year since first taking it in since 2017. Rootstock planted 1960, grafted to Montepulciano 2014 100% Montepulciano. Growers:Mark and Maralyn Bartholomaeus Home Block Eden Valley Township. GI: Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia Soil: Shallow Rich Loamy Sand over Pink Quartz and Granite with some surface rock Nearly 400m elevation Hand Picked 12 days maceration incl 3 day cold soak Hand Plunged Basket Pressed 14 months in seasoned FO Racked, oak washed and returned October 2019. No further wine movements till bottling. Looks great in the glass with such a bright, vibrant colour and so much blue hue for a wine so naturally high in acid. Get your nose in there and you’ll see the brilliant fresh cherry, red current and blackberry. There’s also some sage and a spiciness that’s a bit peppery. Tip it into your mouth! It delicious, delightful and vivacious! Red fruits coupled with darker cherry and plum, complimented by chocolate, spice and tar. The minerality of the soil also has some influence.

There’s a firm food friendly tannin that gets into your cheeks and makes for a chewy finish. Given it’s so fresh, it drinks nicely by itself. You could also try paring with pizza or a Northern-Italian style pasta.
We’ve made it to drink before 2026 but it will cellar no worries.

Tasting Notes: With an initial presentation of rich red fruit jubes; the palate continues to impress as it is laid bare, exposing the more herbaceous notes familiar to lovers of the variety. A smooth finish with chewy tannins and savoury tones creeping in to close out an exceptionally easy drinking wine.

Pairing: Perfect with a wood-fired pizza.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2027

Alc %: 13.5%

Winemaker: Jono Knowles