We ship our wines in lots of 2, 6 or 12 bottles to ensure they arrive safely, so please make up your order in multiples of 2, 6 or 12 bottles. Mixed packs of different wines are welcome.
Blend
Fiano (100%), GUNDAGAI/HILLTOPS
Season
Cool and moist conditions through spring and summer 2022/2023 produced a long and steady ripening period, with intense flavour development and natural acid retention in the grapes.
Viticulture
Fiano is thought to have been the grape behind the Roman wine Apianum that was produced in the hills above Avellino in Campagnia, Italy. The wine was produced by a grape known to the Romans as vitis apiana, with the root of apiana being the Latin for bees. Fiano is grown by Simon Robertson and team on deep red loam at Tumblong in the Gundagai region, and Peter Mullany and family on deep red granitic loam near Wombat in the Hilltops region.
Winemaking
The grapes were harvested at around 12.8 Baume. The fruit was pressed and fermented in stainless steel, on full solids. Fermentation was conducted at around 18 degrees Celsius, before clarification and bottling.
Taste
Delicate hints of white flowers, lemon, herbs and almonds yield to a dry, crisp palate with citrus notes and a finish characterised by freshness and minerality. Marries beautifully with soups, shellfish, fresh cheeses such as buffalo mozzarella and legume dishes.
Praise for the 2023:
"It would be completely understandable for a swarm of bees to be attracted to this as it’s full of honey characters – not sweet, but flavours such as honeycomb and beeswax. There’s ripe yellow peach, all manner of citrus infusions from Meyer lemon, grapefruit to tangy, lemony saline acidity throughout. It’s luscious, as there’s palate weight and a savoury overlay that makes this compelling and moreish. 95pts." - Jane Faulkner, Haliday Wine Companion
Key recognition for past vintages of the Summer Swarm Fiano:
95 points, Halliday Wine Companion (2022 vintage).
Trophy - Best White Wine, 2020 Hilltops Wine Show (2019 vintage).
