Longview Saturnus Nebbiolo 2023 750ml

Structured Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo with cherry, rose, spice and fine tannins.

Longview Saturnus Nebbiolo 2023 is a structured Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo with cherry, rose, spice and fine tannins. It is bright, fragrant and beautifully shaped, with that classic Nebbiolo mix of pretty aromatics and firm savoury grip.

The 2023 vintage shows sour cherry, red berries, rose petal, cranberry, orange rind, anise, fennel and crushed stone. It is medium bodied, fresh and detailed, with fine chalky tannins and a long dry finish. A lovely choice for those who enjoy Pinot Noir but want something with a little more structure and Italian style character.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Sour cherry, red berries, rose petal, cranberry, orange rind, anise, fennel and gentle spice.

Palate: Medium bodied and bright with cherry, red berry fruit, savoury herbs, lively acidity and fine chalky tannins.

Finish: Long and dry with lingering cherry, rose, spice, orange rind and classic Nebbiolo grip.

About The Winery

Longview Vineyard is a family owned estate in Macclesfield, in the Adelaide Hills. Since 2007, the Saturno family has brought its Italian heritage and warm hospitality into the heart of the vineyard, producing wines with freshness, detail and a strong regional identity.

The estate has become especially well known for Italian varieties, and Nebbiolo is one of its most important reds. Saturnus is Longview’s flagship Nebbiolo, made in a serious style that shows perfume, structure and ageing potential.

The cooler Adelaide Hills setting helps give this wine its freshness, bright acidity and fine tannin shape. It is a confident Australian expression of Nebbiolo, with enough fruit to enjoy now and enough structure to reward careful cellaring.

Reviews

The Wine Front - 95 Points 

Pretty but structured. It’s firmly stamped with Nebbiolo character, and gee, it’s really good. It’s over the line for 95 points. Gary Walsh.

Halliday Wine Companion - 95 Points

 A tremendous expression of nebbiolo from now 30-year-old vines. This is distinctly lighter weight than some releases of Saturnus, but brings together innate delicacy of red fruit character, bright cherry, red plum and dry cranberry tang, with expressive swishes of bay leaf, green olive, fennel and licorice in tow. Sweet spices likewise adorn the wine, so too a kind of crushed-granite minerality. Tannins cinch things well, a little lighter than some years, but equally to the task of refreshment factor and shape. A finesse and understatement with this release. Mike Bennie

Ken Gargett - 94 Points 

For many, this is the cream of the crop of the Longview collection, and one of the country’s very best Nebbiolos. Their vineyard was planted back in 1995, and they use a range of clones. The juice is left on skins for twelve weeks before it is pressed for maturation, for a period of a year and a half, into older French oak puncheons and 2,500-litre Austrian Botti. Pale crimson with a fading brown rim, the nose reveals aromas weaving through truffles, strawberries, warm earth, dried herbs and florals. There is a gentle sappiness to the wine and hints of leaf litter emerge along the journey. There is both refinement and elegance here, with very good length. The wine maintains its balance throughout, with underlying intensity matching it. The wine concludes with a lingering finish with fine tannins. It will continue to drink impressively over the next twelve to fifteen years.

Ray Jordan - 92 Points 

Can be a tricky variety to manage in Australia with the tendency for the tannins to overpower, but in this case it all works rather well. Has those earthy, slightly iron stone notes on the nose with some subtle dried herb lift. Red fruits on the palate are balanced with a chalky fine acidity and some firmish, though well-integrated tannins providing a structural core. The color is quite light, but that can be deceptive and there's plenty of power and intensity driving through to a long finish.

The Real Review - 93 Points 

A new entrant in this year's Classification from Longview at Macclesfield in the Adelaide Hills. Nebbiolo was firsted planted here in 1995 and is today among the oldest and largest plantings of the variety in the country, grown on ironstone-laren soils over red clay with autumn fogs at harvest that would look familiar to Piedmont. The Saturno family, owners since 2007, keep the winemaking traditionally Piedmontese: 12 weeks on skins, then 18 months in seasoned Fresnch puncheons and 2500-litre Austrian botti. Medium garnet with lifted aromas of red cherry, rose petal and blood orange peel, layered over tar and earthy spice. Medium-bodied, with a silky, supple texture and tight, savoury tannins that grip through to the finish. 

Cellaring Potential

Longview Saturnus Nebbiolo 2023 can be enjoyed now with a good decant, especially for its perfume, red fruit and savoury tannins. It also has strong cellaring potential and should continue to develop beautifully over the next decade. Drink now to 2037 under good storage conditions.

Collector’s Note

Longview Saturnus Nebbiolo 2023 is a strong bottle for collectors of Australian Nebbiolo and cool climate reds. With its flagship position in the Longview range, 94 and 95 point review attention, and classic Nebbiolo structure, it is a smart choice to enjoy now or put away for later.

Details

Producer: Longview Vineyard
Vintage: 2023
Variety: Nebbiolo
Region: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Bottle Size: 750ml
Wine Style: Structured Australian Nebbiolo
Wine Sweetness: Dry
Wine Body: Medium bodied
ABV: 13.5 percent