Protero CAPO Nebbiolo Adelaide Hills 2019

Protero CAPO Nebbiolo Adelaide Hills

Region: Adelaide Hills , South Australia, Australia

Vintage: 2022

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5%

Wonderfully complex aromas of cherry, licorice, black tea, and savoury spice on the nose. On the palate there are cranberry characters, with notes of fennel, porchetta, black tea and vanilla spice. With a little air, notes of fresh leather and praline develop. The tannins are firm and fine grained, coming in gentle waves through to the long finish.

The fruit for this wine hails from the Protero vineyard, situated in the Gumeracha area in the north of the Adelaide Hills. The site is on a gentle north-east facing slope at an elevation of 500m. Clones used are Mudgee and 230, both planted on their own roots. The Nebbiolo for the Capo is sourced from Block 2, which was planted in 1999.

Both clones were blended at the crusher and co-fermented in stainless steel fermenters of varying capacity. The wine was gently pressed after 25 days on skins and, after two months settling in tank, was transferred to an old 2800L vat for malolactic fermentation. Following extended maturation, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration

Protero tells a fascinating story of survival in the face of adversity. Stephen and Fiona Pannell purchased the ‘Protero’ vineyard in the Adelaide Hills in late 2019. Within days, it was surrounded by the second major bushfire of this century. Thanks to the courage of those who fearlessly defended it, the vineyard survived. As Stephen says, “we are moved by the bravery behind the history of this vineyard. Our own small act of courage is to try and invest in this special place with a new sense of potential.”