"Bullets Before Cannonballs" Ricca Terra, 2021

2020 Vintage Blend:

• Grapes: 54% Tempranillo - 14% Lagrein - 14% Aglianico - 11% Nero d’Avola - 10% Shiraz - 8% Montepulciano

Black plum, vanilla bean, tart blackberry, mulberry, black cherry, cassis, cardamom, cinnamon, clove.  Firm tannins.  Winemaker Ashley Ratcliffe brought Mediterranean varietals to Riverland, a hot region in Australia in 2003.  He tested the land with many varietals, then landed on some that worked well in this area and went for it (hence the name, Bullets before Cannonballs).  This blend is Lagrein, Nero d'Avola, Montepulciano, Tempranillo.  This has big fruit, but is balanced and spunky.  10 months in used French oak.  Farmed organically.

Riverland, Australia