2023 Little Reddie Colbinabbin Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso

WINEMAKER: Pat Underwood
REGION: Heathcote, VIC
VARIETY: Refosco
VITICULTURE: Organic/Sustainable

"The wine is harvested on phenolics typically with delicious dark fruit. Entirely destemmed and fermented in closed stainless for three plus weeks. Pump overs are daily once fermentation begins, with plenty of oxygen via splashing and delestage. Pressing takes place depending on phenolic resolution which in 2023 occurred approaching four weeks on skins. We press to taste, taking moderate amount of pressings with free run and combine immediately. We keep the wine in an unsealed tank post pressing while we allow oxygen to work the tannins into shape. Racked to barrel some weeks later, once we are happy with the shape and the wine has settled. A single puncheon was selected and kept in cask without racking or addition until May 2024. Racked with a small sulphur addition and bottled by hand early June 2024." - Pat

A love of coffee led me to wine. In 2011 while working behind the bar in Castlemaine, my colleague and friend Jarad Curwood (Chapter Wine) nurtured the coffee, beer and then wine passion. Jarad allowed me to pick some grapes from the vineyard he farmed. I fermented this fruit, 2012 Metcalfe Shiraz, in my dad’s backyard. It was a rustic wine and caught the name Little Reddie, owing to the miniature barrel (resized to hold the miniature volume), and as an ode to the drought hardy, introduced fish we were catching in the local waters.

Since then I have studied in my own way. I worked for several years at City Wine Shop on Spring St, being educated thoughtfully by brilliant mentors. Victorian harvest experiences at Bannockburn (2013) and Gembrook Hill (2014) were extremely inspiring and nurturing.

I travelled well through Chianti, the Mosel, Burgundy and the Northern Rhone in 2013 following up with three harvests 2016 - 2018 with Olek Bondonio in Barbaresco. Olek and Ali welcomed me into their family. I will never be far from a return to them. Nebbiolo remains, perhaps, my deepest vinous love.