Catching up with Domenic Mondillo recently – and tasting through the current releases from his range of wines from his 22-hectare Bendigo vineyards. One of the original plantings in the sub-region, they are planted to Riesling, Pinot Noir and a single row of Gewurztraminer.
Mondillo Riesling 2022 – the previous vintage of this wine was a creditable 5th place in the WineFolio Top Tasting from January 2022 – https://winefolio.co.nz/?p=4970 – amongst some Central Otago contemporaries. There’s a zesty acidity and nice weight to the wine – this edition comes in at about 10 g/l residual sugar – but feels dry, bright and floral. Flavours of preserved lemon and blackcurrant cordial amongst the usual peach, honey and mandarin.
Mondillo Rosé 2022 is a wine that is always a winner – not afraid to be bold and spent up to 48 hours on skins to produce a darker colour than is trendy. Again, this has been a success in our tastings previously – second place in the October 2021 Top 10 tasting of Rosé – https://winefolio.co.nz/?p=4546. A real pop of flavour here – framboise, plum, toffee apple and cranberries. Also a lovely phenolic tickle from some fruit tannin and herbal notes – a character, much like the owner.
Mondillo Pinot Noir 2022 shows a lighter colour than often – the fermentation racing away in the harvest heat – but a splay of plump cherry and plum fruit sets the tone. An almost jalapeno-like pepperiness and touch of green herbals. It is elegant and very direct – a linear wine with a nimble palate, framed by granitey oak and with a creamy texture. Good balanced finish.
Mondillo ‘Bella’ Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 shows greater depth – brooding, dark and complex. Earthy savoury notes abound with forest floor and peat. Very classy – a tight core and good bones form a structure with toasty oak and fine, chewy tannins deftly woven in. The texture here is pure glossy velvet. Will reward cellaring but is already a seriously generous Pinot with a svelte balance.
Mondillo ‘Nina’ Late Harvest Riesling always trips me up with the actual level of sweetness – I tend to guess at least half of what is – this year, the 2021, is at around 130 g/l! That surge of acidity masks the sweetness , preventing any cloying feeling, and gives excellent flow into the palate. Sweet lemon saturates the palate, giving intensity and zest. At 9% alcohol, I’d be looking at this as an aperitif, with paté or charcuterie.
