2023 'Chalmers' Nebbiolo

Pat's 2023 Nebbiolo comes from the renowned Chalmers Vineyard, home to one of the most diverse plantings of the variety in Australia. The block sits on the sweet middle of an east-facing slope, planted east–west to capture gentle morning sun. Beneath the vines lie ancient Cambrian meta-basalt soils, where greenstone and quartz push through clay and silt, an ideal foundation for Nebbiolo’s naturally structural style.

The 2023 vintage marks the third harvest from this site, though only the second release under the Patrick Underwood label. Pat harvested the 2022 fruit earlier than he would have liked and ultimately chose not to release the wine, a decision that speaks volumes about the standards he holds for this project.

For 2023 he pushed the wine further toward the northern Piemonte expressions of Bramaterra and Ghemme, incorporating darker clonal material (MAT5 and MAT8) alongside his preferred clones MAT1, 3, 10 and CV230. The result is a Nebbiolo of perfume, structure and savoury depth, carrying both the classical architecture of the variety and a distinctly Central Victorian voice.

“Launched in late ’23, Patrick Underwood Wines is winemaker Pat Underwood’s (of Little Reddie) premium project, built around varietal chardonnay and nebbiolo from specific regions within Central Victoria. Taking cues from vintages worked abroad – particularly the 3 consecutive harvests he spent with Olek Bondonio in Barbaresco from ’16 to ’18 – Pat makes age-worthy wines that are refined, delicate and complex in a more consistent, old-world style.”

Halliday Wine Companion