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This is the ultimate summer cleanser. Forget your G&T, this Arneis from the cool climes of the Adelaide Hills will quench and refresh. Citrus and lime zest with a hint of nashi pear and minerality.
But this wine isn’t just an aperitivo tease. Its purity of fruit, zippy persistence and finely textured finish make it the ‘perfect match’ for a feast of dishes.
You’ll love it….we love it!
The West Australian, Ray Jordan - November 2020. 91 Points
Crunchy and lively expression of this Italian variety that can do so well here in Australia. Lemon and lime with pear and subtle green apple on the palate. I like that combination of zip and texture with the lifted finish.
The Real Review, Stuart Knox - August 2020. 92 Points
Pale-straw colour. A nose of lemon pith and sea spray. Pungent on the attack, sea succulents, freshly-squeezed lemon juice and a saline minerality makes you pay attention, then it subdues its intensity with a good hit of tannic fuzz and drying acidity. Good drive and length.
jamessuckling.com, Nick Stock, July 2020. Score: 91
A bright, dry and fresh arneis that sparks with lemon blossom and sliced pears and delivers a succulent, fresh and juicy palate. Fresh-apple finish.
realreview.com, Huon Hooke, November 2019. Score: 90
Pale straw-yellow colour, restrained aromas, clean and fresh but not estery or shrill. The wine is fruity and soft, with attractive grapy fruit flavours, melon and white peach, with suggestions of kiwifruit and gooseberry, but not sauvignon blanc-like. The wine is crisp and lively, refreshing and loaded with charm. A straightforward but lovely wine.
jamessuckling.com, James Suckling, June 2018. Score: 91
A fun Arneis with sliced limes and crushed stone with just a hint of fennel seed. Medium body. Minerally finish. Drink now.
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2020 Edition, page 257. Rating: 90
A perfumed bouquet and tangy palate both send the same message: citrus blossom and zest, with minerally nuances from the start of the palate through to the finish. The back label says in part ‘Quench and refresh citrus and lime zest', which (actually) I've already said.
jamessuckling.com, "Why Australian Wine Is Some Of The Most Exciting In The World" James Suckling & Nick Stock, August 2017. Score: 91
Some gently reductive notes, pears, lemons and hints of white peaches. It opens up to plenty of perfume, which leads into a palate with bright, dry flavors of lemons and apples on the palate. Refreshing from start to finish. Drink now.
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2019 Edition, page 248. Rating: 93
It has both texture and energy but most of all it has flavour. Brine, lactose, honeysuckle and lemon. It bursts and it lingers. It's a lovely white wine.
100 Best Australian Wines 2018/19 Matthew Jukes, page 19
I find myself opening Roero Arneis a lot at masterclasses and dinners. There is something about the balance of the discreet, floral, pithy, fruit, seashell minerality and tart acidity which makes it so delicious and mouth-watering. Vivo does this job brilliantly, too, putting many of its Piemontese cousins to shame, while fulfilling its job as a wicked aperitif and then doing the groundwork on the palate in preparation for the first few volleys of grub which ought to be looming into view. This segue moment between a chilled white wine banishing the grotty day that has preceded it while simultaneously changing ones mood into being excited about incoming dinner opportunities is not only a huge responsibility but also a job which Vivo takes very seriously indeed. There is a no-brainer period where Vivo doesn’t court attention followed by an engage the brain moment where it revels in being the star. Timed correctly, you should have already placed your order and, if the kitchen is firing on all cylinders, Vivo knows that it is about to do its third and favourite responsibility of wowing you with its culinary élan. Who’d have thought that this stunningly designed bottle possessed so many enviable talents inside (apart from Matt, John and the Vivo fanatics, of course)?
huonhooke.com, Huon Hooke, October 2017. Score: 90
Pale colour, like water. The aroma is very fresh and pepperminty, with bright, newly-fermented aromas and crisp, fresh, light but vibrant palate flavour. It's a bit straightforward but otherwise hard to fault. Very good intensity and drive.
Tony Love, Adelaide Advertiser, November 15 2017
Arneis is the white variety of Italy’s Piedmonte foothills region, and thrives in cooler to moderate regions here like the Adelaide Hills, as well as Victoria’s King Valley. The First Drop crew have been working with it for a decade, including earlier oaked styles designed to age, but this is much more a smack-down summer slide with its nose of lemons and tonic bitters, a faint waft of cut grass, with all that in spades as you taste and unwind with its terrific mouth of minerals and subtle salines for textural and salivating finishing feels.
jamessuckling.com, James Suckling, July 2017. Score: 91
A white with lemon rind, hints of celery and green apple. Some pear too. Medium body, bright acidity and a clean finish. Drink now. Best arneis outside of Italy.
100 Best Australian Wines 2017/18 Matthew Jukes, page 16
First Drop is between vintages, at the moment, so the big reds have taken a year off. Matt Gant informs me that they will be back next year and they better be because the public is crying out for the Fat of the Land! While these actors are resting, we are privy to a solo performance from Vivo, a wine which showcases the Arneis grape, more commonly found in Piemonte, in Italy. Matt Gant and John Retsas love their European grape varieties and this is a perfect plaything for their talents because it irts with exoticism on the nose and then ends up with tart, powdery acidity on the finish. In between it is a luge of cool, prickly, tangy, summery fruit. Vivo is a wine name you can shout, in fact it is a wine which demands an atmosphere. It craves huge ice buckets and chilled glasses. It wants to be invited to parties and then be the last wine standing. It wants to be the centre of attention and it will be with a flavour like this. Quietly at first, Vivo, Vivo, then a little louder, Vivo, Vivo, I hope a barman is listening, louder still Vivo, Vivo…
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