Shiraz 2016
The fruit is partially destemmed, berry sorted, cold soaked and traditionally fermented. Maturation in small barriques is aimed at retaining the refined fruit and floral characters of the variety along with the more savoury, spicy elements derived from our vineyards in Margaret River.
Nose
The nose is open and varietal with notes of white and black pepper, spicy cardamom and an elegant whiff of wisteria. Hints of rich candied orange peels, grated coconut, cedar, and cigar box add to the enticing aromas.
Palate
The intense concentration of flavours reflects the aromatics. Bursts of complex black fruits, small ripe berries and cherries in alcohol are supported by notes of orange marmalade, cinnamon syrup and ripe chewy tannins. A very textural wine, the finish is long, intrinsically structured with lingering flavours of caramelized oak and fresh crusty brioche.
Blend
Shiraz 99%, Viognier 1%
Cellaring
14.8% alc., 6 g/l total acidity, 3.6 pH
Food Pairing Notes
Opulence and precision make this wine a perfect match with a platter of jamon de bellota, blue cheese and fig paste. This wine will partner perfectly with a duck in plum sauce, asian greens and wood ear mushrooms. Chicken liver parfait with caramelized figs on crostini.
The Vineyard
The fruit for this wine was sourced from Cape Mentelle’s vineyards in Margaret River, ranging in age from 16 to 44 years. The soils are predominantly deep sandy loams with high lateritic gravel content over clay. Shoot and leaf removal techniques were used to ensure good fruit exposure to light and to take advantage of the ocean breeze, which flows through the canopy.
The Season
Winter provided average rainfall and spring delivered beautiful warm, dry conditions, perfectly setting up vintage 2016. A nice hot start to Summer in January gave good fruit set and crop predictions. A late January unseasonal single rain event delivered adequate soil moisture for full maturity in red varieties.
Winemaking
The fruit is picked by hand and treated with great care in small batches. Destemming varies from 70% to complete and the crushing is light on the way to a combination of open and closed fermenters. The ferments are lead in a combination of wild and selected yeasts and operations are decided day by day without recipe to optimize potential and complexity. Post fermentation macerations are long - up to 80 days - before light basket pressing. Malolactic fermentations take place in barrels and the wine is kept on lees, unsulfured for several months, sometimes stirred when taste demands it. The final blend for this wine was prepared between September and October 2017 before the wine was bottled, unfined and with only a light polishing filtration and minimal sulphur in late November 2017.
