Arrivo 2006 Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo

I really like good wine. I also like the idea of good wine, even when the wine is not that great. If this does not make sense, I’m sorry, what I am trying to say is that when something is average, it is easy to picture the average whatever being really good. That was hard.

So without further delay, Arrivo 2006 Nebbiolo from the Adelaide Hills should have been spankingly good, but was only just good – nothing more, nothing less unfortunately.

I was really looking forward to this wine. There has been plenty of press about this new producer from SA, all good as well. And the variety Nebbiolo, my favourite variety (red that is), is all about sex and lust and elegance and wackiness and just plain too much yum. But it wasn’t to be.

‘Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest’
Hamlet, act 5 scene 1 – William Shakespeare

You see, it says Nebbiolo so here was I quite excited thinking I’m going to get a bargain(?) at $55 and drink something comparable to Barolo – lovely word isn’t it? I think I was a bit disappointed, but I did raise the bar quite high don’t you think?


Anyway, on to the wine. The colour was very Pinot stylie; very translucent and very hazy. The nose was the highlight for me – dried beetroot and wild raspberry, but it took its time; give this fella quite a bit of time in a decanter. The mouth was very closed, tight, lean, crisp clean acid and not much more.

This is a wine that needs to be open a good day or two before drinking – fair dinkum. And it is not Barolo, so don’t go in there with your hopes to high.


Drink till 2020
Drink with slow braised meats or aged parmesan
16.5/20