Pizzini Rubacuori Sangiovese 2005 (King Valley, Vic)
14%, Diam, $110
Source: Sample
www.pizzini.com.au

Australia’s most expensive Sangiovese this (to my knowledge) and comes in a fittingly chunky bottle.
It shows a quite complex face of Australian Sangiovese too marking it as one of the local benchmarks. The only question mark really is the price-tag which is about double what I would want to pay. A statement wine regardless.

Leather, saddles and hay – it is a rather forward, secondary and ‘winey’ smelling red, advancing its case via complexity and spicy meatiness rather than pure and simple fruit.  It tastes sweet through the middle and the tannins are grippy but it seems to come up just a little short. That savouriness is rather inviting though, charcturie friendly indeed.

Not quite as congruent as the Coronamento Nebbiolo this is still a very stylish Sangiovese. I look forward to seeing subsequent releases. 17.5/20 91/100