2025 La Petite Mort Rosso

La Petite Mort was designed to be "unusual, confronting, and a little left of center." Based out of Ballandean in the Granite Belt at 770 metres elevation, it's one of the more interesting operations in Australian wine.

The Rosso is Lagrein and Barbera. Italian varieties seem to thrive in the warm but high altitude conditions here, and this wine was a real surprise packet when we tasted through the range. 

Minimal intervention, no fining, no filtering, gentle oak and not much else. Dusty dried cherry and savoury fruit, dried herbs, a touch of tarry spice. Juicy and medium-bodied, with rustic tannins that give it some grip without too much weight.

Another fun-filled wine from this enigmatic operation, and top value.