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Australian Wine Italian Variety in a tasting dozen $195.00
Garry Crittenden is one of the pioneers of Italian varietals previously through the family owned Dromana Estate. The winemaker’s father and son Gary and Rollo established the new family winery in 2003, Crittenden Estate in the Mornington Peninsula. Experimentation with Italian varieties continues and the Pinocchio range including popular varieties Sangiovese and Arneis are a terrific value entry level. The tasting dozen below includes 2 of each of the varieties the perfect tasting pack.
The tasting dozen and winemakers brief notes below.
“The Pinocchio range of wines are best enjoyed with food and provide those in the company of friends with a wonderful way to discover, learn, experiment and embark upon a wine drinking adventure.”
Crittenden Estate Pinocchio 2005 Dolcetto –
If you are invited to lunch with a Piemontese (North West Italy) winemaker you will invariably be served a Dolcetto. The big guns, Nebbiolo and Barbera, are saved for dinner that night. This is fitting as Dolcetto expresses all that is fresh, lively and juicy in a lighter style red wine. As the tannins are quite low and the alcohol never too high it is suitable for consumption at lunch. The aromas in this Dolcetto are quite beguiling and remind me of damson plums and cherries with a touch of aniseed. The palate is long and racy with a cleansing acidity; all in all a very refreshing wine. Enjoy in moderation with lots of different pasta styles.
Crittenden Estate Pinocchio 2006 Arneis -
True to the Piedmontese style this wine shows characters of pear juice and fresh apples on the nose, with a mouth filling palate of juicy acidity and a crunchy dry finish. The perfect accompaniment to freshly shucked oysters.
Crittenden Estate Pinocchio 2007 Moscato
We have both been long fans of the wonderful wines from Italy known as Moscato D'Asti. They are intriguing for their beguiling nose of lychees and ginger, the delicious frizzante (fizz) they carry and the refreshing spine of acidity that cuts through the sweetness of the unfermented grape sugar. We especially like the fact that the alcohol is quite low! This, our fourth attempt, seems quite credible to us, a fair copy one could say. It can be enjoyed with dessert, a number of cheeses, particularly dolce latte and piccante Gorgonzola as well as pastries and brioches.
Crittenden Estate Pinocchio 2005 Barbera
Barbera should always, in our view, have a juicy or mouthwatering character derived from the fresh and tingling naturally high acidity of the grape; this wine has it in spades. The nose is highly perfumed with the character of violets and musk sticks and the palate is long and persistent with a satisfying cleansing finish. As with most varieties of Italian origin this particular wine goes exceptionally well with food because of its savouriness. Try it with braises and hearty risottos!
Crittenden Estate Pinocchio 2005 Sangiovese
The distinguishing character of Sangiovese, in our view at least, should be one of savouriness followed by bitter (morello) cherries. This wine, although lighter in colour than many other red grape varieties, still has medium density and hue. There is no “sweetness” on the mid palate such as you might expect from Pinot Noir. The finish is admirably long and tart with that refreshing spine of acidity. Goes so well with many Italian dishes.
Crittenden Estate Pinocchio 2007 Rosato
I’ve produced a Rose style wine for the last 16 years in one guise or another. At first the public looked askance. Today it would seem you can’t get enough. Rose must be one of the great success stories of the last decade; and why not?! For my money it’s one of the most versatile and enjoyable styles around, offering as it does a great compliment to Asian dishes or just a refreshing drink on a hot summers day. We choose to make ours in the full flavoured style. Of course the purists will still turn up their collective noses!
Region: Mornington Peninsula
