Intense, smoky dark cherry fruit on the nose and the palate. Plenty of ripe tannins with clean, fresh acidity balancing the sweet, rich fruit.

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 helps 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. Following settling to remove solids, the wine is racked to French oak barrels (40%) and stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation and 8 months’ ageing on light yeast lees, after which the wine is blended and bottled.

Tasting Note

Intense, smoky dark cherry fruit on the nose and the palate. Plenty of ripe tannins with clean, fresh acidity balancing the sweet, rich fruit.