Casa Freschi Ragazzi Chardonnay 2013

2013 was both a high quality and high quantity vintage. Farmer’s delight. Double the quantity of the 2012 vintage, according to winemaker David Freschi.

A wine of elegant power. It was 100% barrel fermented but you’d not pick it. Freshness of fruit is the order of the day, though it’s also textural and well-shaped as it runs along your tongue. Nectarine, pear, citrus and nuttier notes. Pure, glistening fruit through the finish. Very good. 92/100 Drink 2014-2018

Casa Freschi Ragazzi Nebbiolo 2013

Grown on a close-planted nebbiolo vineyard 4km north of Lake Alexandrina. Matured in French oak, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Nebbiolo with a bit of impact. Silken and tidy at the same time. Deep, dark cherry, leather, dried spice and floral notes. Surely, varietal. Redder berry notes rise as the wine breathes. Tannin is present but not at all dangerous; overall the wine rolls softly along the tongue, though a firmness lurks in the background. Rusty aftertaste, in a positive sense. Interesting wine. And a good one. 91+/100 Drink 2013-2022

Casa Freschi Ragazzi Pinot Grigio 2013

Wild yeast, barrel ferment, and a tiny amount of mlf.

It’s a beautiful white wine. More pinot gris than grigio but alive with spice, powdered milk, smoke and citrus flavour. Joyous. Lengthy. Textural. Drinking beautifully now. 94/100 Drink 2013-2015

Casa Freschi Nebbiolo 2012

This seems to be a step up from the Ragazzi ranged nebbiolo in the Casa Freschi wine tiers, and also sourced from their red wine vineyard in Langhorne Creek. A new release wine from 2012.

Red cherry, bright red perfume, touch of musk, gentle sweetness. Pretty entry. Juicy and tightly wound flavours, light-on in a way, decent length of flavour but finishes with increasingly sour acidity. It’s a quiet, reserved wine with some delicacy of fruit and steely firm tannins. Feels like a wine that will improve with age; there’s a subtle seriousness in the finer feel of this wine. 91/100 Drink 2014-2025