What happens when an Australian winemaker ventures into Barolo country

″Tar and roses.” It’s a well-worn poetic description of red wines made from the nebbiolo grape in the vineyards of Barolo, in Piemonte, north-west Italy. It’s an accurate description, too. When it’s good, barolo combines the most ethereal, entrancing perfume – just like fading rose petals – with the deepest, most tongue-hugging tannins – a bit like licking bitumen. Savoury yet aromatic. Tar and roses.