Technical Analysis
Stanley Estate's luscious Noble Late Harvest is made entirely from estate-grown, fully-botrytised Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
Tasting note
A luscious dessert wine made from fully botrytised grapes from the short rows above Steve and Bridget's house. The aromas of orange blossom lead into the ripe, succulent flavours of honey and marmalade, with a tinge of acidity to give a clean finish on the palate.
Vintage conditions
The 2014 season will be remembered for being a very early harvest, as a result of a warm summer. Fruit cropping levels were about 10% above ‘normal’ fruiting levels. The weather at harvest began well but became cooler and more cloudy after 7th April. Great flavours developed earlier in the harvest allowed Stanley to pick the fruit in parcels as the blocks reached their optimum maturity.
Vintage details
The grapes were machine harvested at night to capture and maintain fruit freshness. The fruit was whole bunch pressed; being very dehydrated fruit, only a small amount of liquid was available (less than 50%). To extract the maximum flavour, the juice was then re-introduced to the press to rehydrate the fruit, tossed around and then pressed off again. This concentrated super sweet liquid was then fermented in tank slowly with a specialised yeast for high Brix wine. At the appropriate level of residual sweetness, the ferment was stopped and the wine began its development towards bottling.
