Technical Analysis
Sourced from the north and north-westerley vineyards where the slope of the mountain flattens slightly. This allows for some buffering against stressful conditions.
Tasting note
Aromas of ripe plum intertwined with indulgent dark chocolate and subtle nutmeg notes with a velvety soft finish
Vintage conditions
The post ’21 harvest was cool and dry, with a good winter for generating cold units and a even rainfall. Bud break was 7 – 10 days later and was even. Early spring was cool and dry, but got wet later on so late cultivars battled with flowering. Unusual rain in summer lead to big canopies and more growth which required management at additional costs. This caused humidity which increased disease pressure and weeds. Due to cool conditions the phenology ripen was 10 day later. From January extreme heat shocked the vineyards so ripening was slow despite the hot dry ripening period, followed by a harvest that was 10 days later than usual. Despite this, excellent extract for colour and flavours were seen.
Vinification details
The grapes were hand-picked and sorted, transferred to stainless steel tanks, and cold-soaked for 2 days for soft extraction. They were inoculated with 3 yeast strains. A combination of pump-overs was used for extraction (closed and open). Depending on the extraction site, pump overs were stopped at various times during the ferment. The wine was left in contact with the skins post-ferment for delicate tannin manipulation. Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel after which the wines went to barrel – a combination of 225l and 300l barrels for 12 months of ageing before blending and bottling.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 92 pts
