Pikes "Luccio" Sangiovese 750ml (6 Bottle Pack)

Brand: Pikes

Release Name: "Luccio" Sangiovese

Wine Style / Type: Medium-Bodied, Savoury Red Wine

Varietal: 100% Sangiovese

Age: Vintage varies depending on current stock

Volume: 750ml Bottle (Also Available as a 6-Bottle Case)

Alc / Vol (%): Varies by vintage — please confirm against current stock

Country: Australia

Region: Clare Valley, South Australia (Polish Hill River Estate)

Cask Type: Spontaneous Ferment in Closed Vessels, Extended Maceration Up to 40 Days on Skins, Approximately 50% Matured in Seasoned French Oak Barriques

Limited Edition: No (Pikes' Standing Annual Luccio Sangiovese Release, Part of the Broader Luccio Collection)

Award Winner: Not independently confirmed across all vintages — the wine has drawn consistently favourable reviews from multiple independent critics year on year

Pikes Wines, established in 1984 by brothers Neil and Andrew Pike in the Polish Hill River sub-region of the Clare Valley, stands as a premier institution of family-led Australian winemaking craftsmanship. Transforming a historic stone shearing shed into their flagship winery, the family combines Neil’s veteran winemaking insight with Andrew’s deep viticultural experience to cultivate varieties that mirror their unique terroir. Heavily celebrated for their wood mastery, pristine estate management, and refusal to cut corner processes, the house holds massive critical acclaim. Having secured prestigious show medals and multiple back-to-back people's choice awards, Pikes remains a highly sought-after brand among world wine historians and discerning collectors alike.

Pikes was one of the first South Australian wineries to plant Sangiovese in Clare Valley, pioneering Italian red wine varieties in the region decades before "alternative varieties" became a broader trend — this isn't a recent bandwagon addition, but a grape the estate has genuine, long-standing experience with. The variety has proven remarkably well-suited to Polish Hill River's tough, acidic soils over ancient Kadlunga Slate, typically finding natural balance in the vineyard without heavy intervention. In the winery, the wine is spontaneously fermented in closed vessels with extended maceration of up to 40 days on skins, then partly matured in seasoned French oak barriques — a considered approach that captures Sangiovese's characteristic savoury, earthy structure rather than pushing it toward a sweeter, more generic red style. It's been described as "pretty much the perfect pizza wine," and its lively acidity and fine tannins make it a genuinely versatile match for tomato-based dishes, charcuterie, roasted vegetables and Italian cuisine broadly — a strong pick for red wine drinkers wanting an authentic, food-driven alternative to the more common Cabernet and Shiraz styles.