Tenuta Minchella’s ‘By Fabiano’ wines: Italian-inspiration hits the McLaren Vale, Australia
On a quick visit to South Australia’s McLaren Vale region, I popped in to taste with Fabiano Minchella, who has been focused on planting Italian grape varieties in the McLaren Vale.
The Minchella family have been grape growers for quite a while, selling to the likes of Treasury. One year they got paid more for their grapes than they were expecting, and tax implications persuaded them to build a winery. Initially, the idea was to increase profitability by making bulk wine, but these days they use the winery as a contract facility, and also for their own brand of wines under the Tenuta Minchella label.
Their first wine was a clean skin Primitivo for family and friends in 2017, but they began releasing wines commercially from the 2020 vintage, with Fiano, Primitivo and Rosé. They have eight blocks of vines, with a focus on Italy, and they have managed to get a wide range of varieties from Chalmers nursery.
They have eight vineyard blocks in the region. They’ve grafted over some vineyards to Primitivo and Montepulciano (in 2015), and in 2019 planted some more varieties. Fabiano says that everyone thought Vermentino was going to be the star, but it’s Fiano that is surprising everyone.
He has experience working in Italy, In 2013 and 2014 he did vintage in Basilicata, and in 2015 he started in Manduria and then moved to Puglia.
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Fiano 2024 McLaren Vale, Australia
Hand-picked and fermented and aged in stainless steel. Fabiano has tried barrels, but finds it’s better with no oak. This is pure and powerful with nice texture, showing pear and white peach with some stony notes. It’s floral and textural with nice weight and finesse. 93/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Vermentino 2024 McLaren Vale, Australia
9 rows of this. Fabiano says this a variety that needs to be worked in the winery: you can’t make it like a Riesling. 24 hours on skins, cool and dirty ferment with fluffy lees, aged in French oak. Textural, stony and finely spiced with hints of nuts. Nice acidity with a bit of structure, and a hint of salinity. 92/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Greco Fiano 2024 McLaren Vale, Australia
96% Greco, 4% Fiano. 6 hours on skins in press, 4 months in oak. Aniseed, pear and peach notes. Has some nice pear and citrus fruit with a hint of apple. Complex with nice texture and some nutty notes. 93/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Rosato 2024 McLaren Vale, Australia
This is made from Primitivo. Pale pink. Supple and light with fresh, expressive fruit. This has a stony edge to the fruit with some strawberry as well as citrus. Sweet fruit but dry. 91/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Negroamaro 2024 McLaren Vale, Australia
30% whole bunch. 65% steel, 35% barrel. Such a lovely orange peel and white pepper nose, with floral cherry fruit and some Campari notes. There’s a peppery edge to the bright cherry and plum fruit with some sweet strawberry character. Lovely supple, open wine, and really expressive. 94/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Primitivo 2022 McLaren Vale, Australia
16.1% alcohol, pH 3.4. Old oak. Complex nose of mint, cherries and red berries. The palate is ripe, juicy and focused. Fresh, vivid and grippy. Salty and mineral. 93/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Primitivo Naturale 2023 McLaren Vale, Australia
16% alcohol, 30 ppm SO2. Lovely aromatics: sweet, pure and rich. Slightly jammy floral cherry and raspberry fruit with good intensity. Ripe and rich with nice fruit. 93/100
Tenuta Minchella By Fabiano Primitivo Dolce Naturale 2021 McLaren Vale, Australia
17% alcohol, 120 g/l residual sugar. This is quite something: mint, spice, raisins, sweet cherries and berries. Rich and warm, with sweetness but also a savoury spiciness. Amazingly complex. 94/100
