Ceccherini Cristiano

9.5

First bottle of 6

I quote Fraser description here:

Our prime cask selection from DW-OLD (planted between 1888-1912), ER-27 (planted 1927) & DW-95VSP (planted 1995).

These 24 Burgundian Pièces were gently assembled and bottled amid the spring of 2023 after enduring a 76 week elevage. Bottles were filled without filtration, fining or sparging (the removal of naturally occurring oxygen & C02) and all transfers were completed via gravity prior to bottling.

This wine is begging for a few more months rest and will then cellar for as long as your taste desires. It adores air and will continue to unfurl over many days if kept in cool conditions.

Yields ranged between 35 & 51 hectolitres per hectare.
6485 bottles were filled.

Then the humble me adds...

It goes without saying that it's a baby
But it is such a joy to drink this wine
Shared with a paesano that appreciated it very much.
Marvellous wine for a lovely evening — 7 days ago

Joanne Frette

9.0

A sophisticated take on a Cabernet Merlot Cabernet frank blend. This classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Merlot is from Margaret River. It’s well balanced and sophisticated and beautifully made. the nose is a red cherry and cedar and the pallet is full of red fruit and integrated tannins. A nice persistant wood spice on the finish. — 8 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.0

Fruit forward, big cassis notes. Not the longest finish but this is definitely a good value quaffer. Having it chilled after a long exhausting day on Fraser Island adds to the allure. 🇦🇺 — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Dense purple/black in the glass - opaque. Not giving much on the nose initially following decanting. Needed vigorous swirling. Barossa plum, prune and earth. Very full bodied on the palate. Quite concentrated. A very big wine in comparison to many other Sami-Odi Cuvées I’ve had over the years. HH said It needs ages (“drinking window of 2018 to 2041 - over extracted?)” I tend to think the difficult vintage conditions in 2014 as explained by Fraser is the reason. Harvest was a full 2 months later than normal - harvesting the 2nd shooting of the vines during the first 2 weeks of April. Yielding only 274 dozen. This wine has a long cellaring future. An element of tannic astringency which is more a result of the size of the wine. This is the first of 3 bottles I purchased in 2016. It will be many years before I have the next one. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Deep Ruby in colour with a youthful purple rim. Ripe plummy notes on the nose with aromatic spices. A rich intense supple palate (but never ponderous). The palate is downright delicious showing plums and the tang of plum skins with a fluidity akin to milk chocolate. Made from 7 different vintages but 46% from the 2021 vintage which was a vintage for the ages in South Australia. You can’t beat the old vine material that Fraser has to work with from the old Hoffmann Vineyard. — a month ago

Doug Powers

9.2

Burnt match/sulphur initially, fair level of new oak, round and voluptuous, solid acidity, lingering finish, not sure how long this would age (@Bob McDonald, any thoughts), but liking this tonight a lot!! — 3 months ago

with Jim

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2005 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 15 mins, 45 mins and 2 hrs. Throwing decent sed. Great color. Overt baby fat from this producer dissipated but plenty of the usual, front-palate richness found in the first decade of life still evident. In “the zone” currently. Medium bodied. Not improving but tasting like it’s closer to the front of “the zone”than the mid-section or the caboose. Flavors, concentration and overall impression sez this continues to gallop along in this lane and at this pace for another decade before fading noticeably. 11.5.23. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

A pale lemon yellow in colour - quite youthful looking for a 12 year old Chardonnay. Aromatics of white peach - mealy and nutty notes, still with a nice acid cut at the finish. Drinking at its peak. Fuller than some Marg River Chardonnays I’ve had lately like Xanadu and Fraser Gallop. I have had richer Art Series Chardonnays but personally I love the balance in this. — 2 months ago

Geoff Upston

9.2

Couldn’t pick the bay leaves, sorry. 2019, drunk in 2024. Really nice drinking right now, feeling it will be awesome in another few years. Will try and get a case of this vintage. — 10 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

A blend of 6 vintages - 2020 (51%), 2019 (31%), 2018 (3%), 2017 (8%), 2016 (5%), and 2015 (2%). From the Hoffmann’s Dallwitz vineyard. 6327 bottles filled. Aromatics of old vine Barossa Shiraz. The fruit is so plush and ample together with liquorice, chocolate, blue fruits, and spices that it masks the M plus tannins. I note that Fraser likes to taste these Little Wines “when primal and vital, a year or two after vintage “. I totally agree. I have tasted Little Wines with over 5 years of cellaring and find that you are giving up that freshness and vitality for a limited increase in savoury profile. The secondary value of Sami-Odi wines have increased dramatically in recent years. I paid $55 per bottle on release and note that United Cellars are now selling for $325. All the more annoying when I broke a bottle unpacking the tricky little cartons of 3 when I received them. The odd 4 letter word was uttered!!! Therefore I have one left for future enjoyment. I ended up having the last bottle 68 weeks later on 4th May 2025 with consistent notes taking into account Fraser’s note that he likes to drink Little Wine in its first couple of years. Blackberry currant and chocolate. — a year ago