Pizzini Gusto Mama Sangiovese 2019
- Medium bodied
- King Valley
Perfectly ripe red cherry and strawberry, dried herbs and oh-so-soft spices, black pepper and cocoa, accompanied by terracotta tannins. Brightly juicy fruit that’s clearly enjoyed some Aussie sunshine is swaddled in all that typical sangiovese savouriness, making for a fiendishly food-friendly affair. There’s acidity to keep things fresh, but it’s well integrated, softly spoken and doesn’t poke you in the ribs.
Profile
Who is Gusto Mama?
Wine’s usually an unceremonious affair, opened as much to quench thirst as it is to flesh out the ragout. But Gusto Mama is for those good occasions, when family’s around. It’s on the top shelf in the kitchen, away from underage fingers. Usually this would be the worst place for wine due to heat, but the turnover’s high. It’s still drunk from tumblers, but it’s accompanied by a mumbled, satisfied ‘mmm’ from Nonna and a ‘hfff’ from Nonno as he sinks into his chair. That’s a lot more than you’d get from anything else. You can tell it makes them feel more at home; and you didn’t think that was possible.
Made by Joel Pizzini & Family
Joel Pizzini’s taken his dad Alfredo’s legacy of making renowned King Valley wines and doubled down on the region’s standout specialty: sangiovese. He’s trained at top wineries around the globe, including Isole e Olena in Chianti - one of the world’s best sangiovese makers. Joel regularly walks the vineyards with his dad, forever honing his knowledge of the land’s foibles and features.
Of course it’s a family affair, with siblings Natalie, Nicole and Carlo all playing key roles in the business. Alfredo remains Pizzini patriarch, but perhaps the most important person of all - of course - is Katrina, who isn’t only Pizzini ambassador but, fittingly, also runs her own cooking school. A mama with much gusto indeed!
What is the Collaboration Series?
Vinomofo’s Collaboration Series wines are all about celebrating hand-picked makers. In working with the most talented winemakers, we’re always humbled to see a wine come to life, from the seedling of an idea to screwcap and everything in between. These bespoke projects let us get our dream wines to you at the right price, using the strength of our relationships and the buying power of you, our tribe of good wine-loving mofos.
It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- King Valley
- Vintage
- 2019
- Cellaring
- 2025
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 13.8%
- Closure
- Screwcap
- Bottle Vol
- 750mL
- Blend Info
- 86% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 4% Colorino
- Serving Temp.
- 17.0°C
Tasting
From the producer
Bright garnet in colour with a red brick hue. Its vibrant nose includes notes of sour cherry, dried herbs and soft spices. The savoury palate has hints of cedar and spiced cherries combined with bountiful plums and strawberries. Well balanced with soft acidity and chewy generous tannins, this is the perfect BBQ wine.
Winemaking
Viticulture
This vintage we had a very wet winter and spring, winter never seemed to end. This seasonal variation in rain meant that we had very cold soils in spring, which delayed bud burst in the vines, and resulted in grape harvest starting a month later than usual. It was quite cool and mild during late December and early January, which lead to maximum flavour development at lower sugar levels in the fruit. The coolness of the vintage conditions was perfect for producing white varieties and early ripening reds.
Crafting
The Sangiovese and Canaiolo and a small amount of colorino were fermented with inoculated yeast BM45 in open cement fermenters at thirty degrees Celsius. Once the wine finished alcoholic fermentation the free run juice was drained and the skins were lightly pressed. The wine was allowed to settle for a day before it was transferred to barrels for malic acid fermentation and barrel and stainless steel tank aging. The wine spent 8 months aging to soften the pallet but to keep the wine fresh and youthful.
Region
King Valley
The region of King Valley is as impressive as its name. With a magnificent vineyard area covering 1,800ha, it represents half of all the plantings in North East Victoria. Celebrated for its innovative varietals, covering all corners of the globe - from Spain, to Germany, France, Russia and more famously Italy, it's this point of difference that has made the area such a revered Aussie wine region. Gentle slopes, warm days and cool nights make it an ideal area to produce Mediterranean varieties such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Prosecco amongst many other out-of-the-box wines - talk about La Dolce Vita!
The rules are there ain’t no rules, but here are some foods we think will work pretty well with this wine...
Goes with
Pizza with bocconcini, prosciutto & rocket
Ingredients
- 1 x 440g bought pizza base with tomato paste
- 5 bocconcini, thickly sliced
- 80g (1/2 cup) pitted black olives
- 80g baby rocket leaves
- 30g (1/3 cup) shaved parmesan
- 7 thin slices prosciutto, torn in half
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250°C. Place an oven shelf in the lowest position. Place pizza base on a baking tray. Top with bocconcini and olives.
- Bake on the lowest shelf of oven for 8 minutes or until the bocconcini melts and the base is crisp.
- Meanwhile, combine the rocket and parmesan in a bowl.
- Top the pizza with the prosciutto and the rocket mixture to serve.