M +61 429 310 309
The flagship savoury Italian-inspired red blend from Australia’s only plantings of Rondinella and Corvina grapes.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
The 2017 vintage season is acknowledged as an excellent year in the Hilltops creating intensely coloured and flavoured wines. A dry summer led into the cool, dry autumn providing ideal ripening conditions. Corvina and Rondinella grapes take time to reach maturity even in the Australian climate, an ideal long, slow evolution that is the key to their intensity and seductive richness. The grapes were harvested in late April.
A selection of both varieties was dried slowly for up to 10 days, the desiccated grapes added to the remaining harvest for fermentation. The young wines characterised by very intense tannins were aged separately in old oak barrels for two years, prior to blending and bottling. Subsequently, the wine has been cellared at 14o C to allow the tannins to integrate and enrich the palate.
TASTING NOTES
In a generous glass this mid-weight FREEMAN Secco Rondinella Corvina 2017 displays garnet red hues and attractive enveloping aromas of spiced berries, sage and lingering umami notes that lead to a mellow, persistent and balanced palate. This wine is inspired by northern Italy’s classic ripasso styles opening as a deceptively lighter red that reveals beguiling flavours draped over a savoury tannin frame. With an elegant, captivating charm, the 2017 will continue to evolve for many years to come.
The flagship savoury Italian-inspired red blend from Australia’s only plantings of Rondinella and Corvina grapes.
TASTING NOTES
In a generous glass this mid-weight FREEMAN Secco 2016 displays garnet red hues and attractive enveloping aromas of spiced berries mingled with earthy cacao aromas and lingering umami notes leading to a mellow balanced palate. This mature deceptive wine is modelled on northern Italy’s classic Ripasso-styles, opening as a lighter red then revealing its true form – beguiling flavours draped over a savoury tannin frame. With an elegant captivating charm it will continue to evolve for many years yet.
WINEMAKING
The 2016 vintage was our earliest harvest ever, starting in late January, a result of a low rainfall year and consistently warm conditions leading to a hot, persistently dry summer. In other words, it was a season that conjured full ripeness and powerful balanced flavours. These later ripening Corvina and Rondinella varieties were picked in April.
A selection of both varieties was dried slowly for up to 10 days, the desiccated grapes added to the remaining harvest for fermentation. The young wines characterised by very intense tannins were aged separately in old oak barrels for two years, prior to blending and bottling. Subsequently, the wine has been cellared at 14oC to allow the tannins to integrate and enrich the palate.
The flagship savoury Italian-inspired red blend from Australia’s only plantings of Rondinella and Corvina grapes.
TASTING NOTES
In a generous glass this mid-weight FREEMAN Secco 2015 displays complex and enveloping aromas ranging from fresh berries to morello cherries and panforte mingled with undertones of earthy mushroom, typically associated with dried grapes and classic Amarone wines. These traits and fruit richness help create the lingering palate – savoury, complex and textural with a soft tannin frame and balancing acid, ensuring this wine will continue to evolve for many years yet.
WINEMAKING
The grapes were progressively harvested from late April into May, three months after most varieties. A selection of both varieties was dried slowly for up to 10 days, the desiccated grapes added to the remaining harvest for fermentation. The young intense tannin wines were aged separately in old oak barrels for two years, prior to blending and bottling in 2015. Subsequently, the wine was cellared another two years at 14oC to allow the tannins to integrate and enrich the palate.
• 95 POINTS, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2022
'This full-bodied wine is intense, rich and chocolaty, with hints of dried fruit along the plum-prune spectrum. It finishes long and velvety, with the concentration to support aging through at least 2025.'
93 POINTS, WINE ADVOCATE