2023 Traviarti Black Springs Nebbiolo

Black Springs is a young vineyard with a big future. Simon Grant helped establish it back in 2016 on a friend’s property at 450 metres in Beechworth, where decomposed granite soils and cool nights give Nebbiolo a natural tension and lift. Until now, the fruit has been blended into the estate wine, but in 2023 the block showed enough maturity to stand on its own.

Fermented in concrete and raised in ceramic eggs, there’s no oak to blur the detail. What you get is a strikingly aromatic Nebbiolo—rose petals, sour cherry, grapefruit peel and spice - with a palate that’s both generous and finely etched. The tannins are unmistakably Nebbiolo, firm and architectural, yet here they’re cushioned by a core of red fruit and savoury depth that makes the wine already compelling to drink.

For a first solo outing, this is seriously impressive. It captures the perfume and energy of young Beechworth Nebbiolo while giving a glimpse of the complexity and harmony that will only build as the vines age. Simon says it best: “Without the interference of oak you see both the purity of fruit and the plush unadorned tannin framework.”

A brilliant debut from a site we’ll be hearing much more about.

"Ripe dark cherry, dark florals and raspberry lead an invitingly aromatic opening, with woodsmoke and earthy paperbark beneath... Classy and perfumed with excellent structure."
- Tom Kline (Decanter)