Brash Higgins - NDV Nero d'Avola 2022

Region: McLaren Vale

Grapes: Nero d'Avola

A deep crimson, medium bodied Negroni-esque Nero d'Avola, aged in clay amphora, from the legends at Brash Higgins. 

Orange rind, dark cherry, ginger and Indian spices with a hint of mezcal on the nose. Bright ripe raspberry, pomegranate and sweet/sour morello cherry on the palate with super fresh acidity, fine tannins and a savoury edge to the finish. Winemaker Brad Hickey reckons every amphora-aged wine deserves a decant, including this one. 

NERD NOTES

The first to graft Nero d’Avola in McLaren Vale to our organic estate Omensetter Vineyard in 2009, this twelfth vintage of the drought tolerant Sicilian varietal was picked in early March after a cool and breezy February eased the pace of the ripening Nero grapes. 2022 to the point was dry with low yields and terrific acidity.
The transparency of the Nero d’Avola grape was preserved in our “NDV” by using gentle, ancient techniques and naturally occurring wild yeasts. The grapes were destemmed, save 10%, then fermented wild and aged on skins and seeds for six months in locally made 200L bees-wax lined clay amphoras (aka clay pots).