IN the 12 years I've been reviewing the Adelaide Hills Longview brand wines of brothers Peter and Mark Saturno, I've found innovation a happy constant.
From the outset its portfolio was conspicuous with barbera, nebbiolo and pinot grigio alternate varieties along with the conventional cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, pinot noir, riesling and sauvignon blanc wines.
Then a decade ago Austrian-Hungarian-origin gruner veltliner (grooner felt-lih-ner) vines were added thanks to the assistance of the variety's trail-blazers Larry Jacobs and Marc Dobson of the neighbouring Hahndorf Hill vineyard and winery.
Led by Hahndorf Hill and Longview, the Adelaide Hills region has developed Australia's largest concentration of gruner veltliner, which has become popular with single-variety table white fans.
CEO-winemaker Peter Saturno has taken Longview's innovative flair a step further in his new-release $23 2021 pinot grigio-gruner veltliner blend, which is reviewed below with another enterprising inaugural mix in the 2021 shiraz-barbera.
Longview vineyard was established in 1995 by entrepreneur Duncan MacGillivray, who made a fortune developing the lemon-flavoured, alcoholic Two Dogs drink - which he ultimately sold to the French Pernod Ricard group.
The Saturno family, long operators of pubs and liquor stores in their Adelaide home town, in 2007 bought the scenic 200-hectare Longview property and vineyard in Pound Road, Macclesfield.
Prompted by Peter and Mark's parents living on adjoining land and admiring the beautiful bushland setting and spectacular views over Murray River mouth, the purchase brought the brothers back to South Australia after carving out extended careers in the US.
An actor by profession and Longview's brand ambassador, Mark lived in the US for 10 years and has had roles in theatre, television and films in America and Australia.
Peter is an Adelaide University wine marketing degree graduate and worked in this field in New York for four years and both he and Mark had experience in hotels and hospitality, gained from growing up with the family's Adelaide pubs and liquor stores and stints in New York restaurants, bars and wine shops.
Today Longview has 60 hectares of premium vines, tasting rooms, a cafe, function centre and accommodation and the wines are available at longviewvineyard.com.au, the Pound Road, Macclesfield, cellar door and bottle shops.
The brand has a top-rank five red stars rating in the Halliday Wine Companion.
WINE REVIEWS by JOHN LEWIS
OFFBEAT AMALGAM
A NOVEL blend of pinot grigio (AKA pinot gris) and the Austrian-Hungarian-origin gruner veltliner, this zingy Longview 2021 Grigio-Gruner is straw-hued, passionfruit-scented and kiwifruit front-palate-flavoured. The middle palate shows ruby grapefruit, lime zest and mineral characters and flinty acid refreshes at the finish. PRICE: $23. DRINK WITH: salt and pepper squid. AGEING: four years. RATING: 4.5 STARS
SPICY RED FUSION
SHINING purple-tinged crimson in the glass and with 13.5% alcohol and berry pastille aromas, the Longview 2021 Shiraz-Barbera has spicy blackcurrant front-palate flavour. The middle palate displays Morello cherry, briar, mint and savoury oak and a finish of ferric tannins. Get the wines at longviewvineyard.com.au and the cellar door. PRICE: $23. DRINK WITH: shish kebabs. AGEING: five years. RATING: 5.5 STARS
ZING FOR GRANNY
THIS zingy Longview 2021 Queenie Pinot Grigio is green-tinted straw and grassy scented. The front palate has gooseberry flavour, the middle palate pear, apple peel and gunmetal elements and slatey acid plays at the finish. It's named for the Saturno brothers' Nonna - Tarquinia "Queenie" Saturno, who migrated aged 12 from Friuli, Italy. PRICE: $23. DRINK WITH: spring rolls. AGEING: two years. RATING: 4 STARS
