The wine has good colour, a ripe, black cherry perfume on the nose and lively yet supple fruit on the palate that is nicely supported by fine, grainy tannins.

Vinification

Hand-picked fruit is de-stemmed, but not crushed, and tipped into 4 tonne open-top fermenters. Open tops are used to reduce the amount of alcohol in the resulting wines, which in turn help to give the sort of balance we are seeking. After a 5 day cold-soak to stabilise the colour, fermentation takes place at temperatures of up to 34°C, with frequent gentle (but physically demanding!) hand-plunging. The grapes are pressed at dryness, except for 15%, which are left on skins for 8 days of post fermentation maceration to improve the structure of the resulting wine. After settling to remove the solids, the wine is racked to French oak barrels (40%) and stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation and ageing on light yeast lees. The wine is then blended and bottled after 8 months of ageing.

Tasting Note

The wine has good colour, a ripe, black cherry perfume on the nose and lively yet supple fruit on the palate that is nicely supported by fine, grainy tannins.