95 Points – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
94 Points – Steve Leszczynski, Qwine Reviews
91 Points – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
2022 ARILA GARDENS
GARDENS OF MOPPA
NERO d’AVOLA
$45.00
Our Gardens of Moppa wines are an expression of the region from which we call home. A blend of vineyards, or as we like to call them gardens, from the heart of Moppa. Fragrant wines with personality, crafted with a gentle touch and a respect for these classic varietals from this renowned region.
Tasting Note
Grape Variety: Nero d’Avola
Region: Moppa, Barossa Valley
Colour: Vibrant ruby red
Nose: Intense and alluring perfume of raspberry coulis, black pastille, juniper, red cherry and violets. Fruit forward yet complex with further layers and personality revealing itself over time.
Palate: Expansive palate of bright berry fruit covering blue, black and red spectrums. Sarsaparilla and subtle creamy malt support the fruit line with fine talc like tannins building in length. The natural acidity has a salivating moreish quality, leaving the palate crisp, clean and ready for more.
Cellaring potential: 5+ years
Vintage Conditions
Winter 2021 was recorded as the wettest in 25 years for Northern Barossa, setting up the vines well for the growing season. Other than one welcomed rain event on the 1st of March the summer was dry. The cool conditions allowed for the steady ripening of fruit to its optimum flavour, colour and tannin development. Wines of the 2022 vintage are characterised by having lovely natural balance, brightness of fruit, perfume and long fine structural palates.
Winemaking
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- Harvested March 26, 2021
- Whole berries for ferment
- Fermented in small open top for 8 days
- Gentle pump overs and hand plunging
- 10 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads
- Filtered prior to bottling
- Wine analysis
pH – 3.41
Acidity – 7.4 g/L
Alcohol – 14.4 %
Previous Vintage Tasting Notes
The 2022 Arila Gardens – Gardens of Moppa Nero d’Avola is our first vintage of this wine. Download a PDF of the tasting note here.
Reviews
Superbly ripe and enticing, the wine shows dark fruit richness, warm spice, tapenade and cedar characters on the nose. The palate displays richness with structure, combined with plump mouthfeel and fleshy texture, finishing long and velvety. – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, (95 points)
Another new wine in the Arila Gardens stable. This Nero d’Avola joins the immensely enjoyable Saparavi and stands tall in its own right. It sees old French oak with no acid additions. Coming in at 14.4%, it is highlighted by an explosion of flavour. Sourced from a grower just up the road from Arila Gardens HQ, it is a dense and mouth-filling wine. Red berries, raspberry coulis and blackberry paste step out and bask in all the glory. With a length for days, winemaker Adam Clay says, “It doesn’t hide from being Barossa. It’s true Moppa.” Big and black with a lick of cherry cola, sarsparilla and graphite tannins, it’s a good thing it was a quick tasting as this wine can easily be poured large and swilled with ease. Hello fire pit nights. Bravo! – Steve Leszczynski, QWine Reviews, (95 Points)
Another emerging variety, this time from Italy, given the Barossa treatment. Whole berries were used in the ferment, which took place in small open top fermenters over 8 days before ten months maturation in seasoned French oak hogsheads. The colour is a vibrant magenta. The wine offers notes of dark chocolate, blackcurrants, bay leaves, bergamot and animal skins with deep earthy notes. A wine of moderate length, it is concentrated and plush. This is chunky in style, rather than sleek, but it is chock full of flavour. Drink now and over the next five to six years and enjoy its full flavoured, food-friendly style. – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot, (91 Points)
