Ruggabellus Fluus NV

This year sees the return of Fluus, albeit not quite as it used to be. With the reality of low yielding harvests sinking in, our good friend Dave offered us the opportunity to purchase a few small parcels of Syrah and Gamay from the Adelaide hills. We gave it a go. I'm glad we did. It was a real treat to guide some Gamay grapes into wine (it is one of our favourite varieties to drink here at home). The Fluus is a blend of 71% barrels from 2021 and 29% from 2022. It is a blend of Adelaide hills Syrah 43%, Barossa Grenache 22%, Barossa Cinsault 18% and Adelaide hills Gamay 17%. It’s important to us that the Fluus is aromatic, succulent and a food friendly red. The inclusion of Syrah and Gamay from the hills (for this release only) has helped us achieve that. Abel Gibson.

So Fluus has shifted a few gears with this release. Small yields over the years have forced the hand and sparked creativity. Exciting. This is 71% barrels from 2021 and 29% from 2022, as a start, it is also a mix of syrah (Adelaide hills) 43%, grenache (Barossa) 22%, cinsault (Barossa) 18% and gamay (Adelaide Hills) 17%. There ya go. Cork sealed now.

It’s such a delight. Such. Slurpy but with cool threads of alpine herbs, peppery spice, sleek tannin and red and black cherry fruit characters. The tension is there too, tannins sweeping through and holding the juiciness in, a slight chomp through the finish lending authority. It feels elegant in a way, but the drinkability is all charm. A pinosity of sorts emerges, despite the depth of fruit and spice. Energy is another word to be thrown into the mix here – it feels very alive and vibrant with each sip. Jeepers. Too good. Drink 2023-2028, 95 Points – Mike Bennie, The Wine Front