Tasting Notes

This is a wine that is elegant, textural and savoury. There are aromas of dried flowers, cedar and leather and the palate has gentle plum fruit and spice. The oak blends seamlessly with the fruit, and the finish is soft and long. This wine will continue to develop with age and can be cellared for 5 to 10 years.

Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Vintage: 2018
Harvest Date: 7 March 2018
Vineyard Location: North west vineyards
Geology / Soil Profile: Deep, red rocky clay loam (derived from Cambrian Rock)
Viticulture Practices: Un-irrigated vineyards, zero tillage, grass sward between rows, cane pruned
Yields: 1.0 tonne/acre
Alcohol: 12.9%
pH: 3.73
TA: 5.64
Bottle Packaging: 750 ml punted burgundy
Closure: Stelvin ROTP Screwcap
Cartons: 6 bottles in branded cartons 1 x 6 standing up

The 2018 Vintage:
2018 had a relatively dry ripening season, resulting in relatively lower yields but very good quality. Smaller berries mean higher skin to juice ratio, therefore the vines gave up great colour and natural tannins. The dry weather meant that minimal spraying for pests and diseases was required, so the fruit was free from chemical intervention.

The Vineyard:
All fruit was Estate grown, sourced from our north facing slopes of the Dowd’s Lane vineyard. The Tempranillo vines are on a high rocky slope exposed to the summer sun during the day, contrasted by the cool evening breeze. These conditions help develop its classic varietal character. The vines are unirrigated and very low yielding. They are cane-pruned by hand and wrapped to a single wire trellis to encourage some bunch shading during the heat of summer.

The grapes were harvested early in the season to preserve their natural acidity, and hand-picked so that only the best bunches were taken.

The Winemaking:
Traditional red wine making techniques were used with this wine. The bunches were hand-picked and crushed into small open fermenters with daily hand plunging. After 21 days the wine was basket-pressed and aged in two-year old French oak for 18 months prior to bottling.