Nose
Fresh prunes, chocolate, dark cherry, mixed spice and subtle vanilla pod.
Palate
A rich, full and textural wine, with sweet, ripe redcurrant fruit accompanied by hints
of spicy clove and plum jam.
Growing Conditions
Introduced to the vineyard from California in 1972, zinfandel is a particularly demanding variety both
in the vineyard and the winery. Cape Mentelle Zinfandel commands a ‘cult’ following for its big rich full
bodied style.Predominantly sourced from the Cape Mentelle Estate vines where there is a combination
of old bush vines and vertically shoot positioned canopies. Th e vines are shoot thinned
and in some cases leaf plucked to ensure a balance between fruit exposure to light while
providing protection from the midday sun.Th e 2006 vintage in Margaret River was challenging for many reasons. It was a very
cool vintage with a late budburst and restricted shoot growth early due to a cool and dry
2005 spring. When some warm weather arrived in November shoot growth accelerated
producing strong healthy canopies with moderate crops. Th e summer months proved
to be unseasonally mild with occasional light rain. Th e result of the mild conditions
was a harvest delayed by up to four weeks across all varieties and was the latest vintage
recorded in the regions forty years of viticultural experience.
Winemaking
Th e zinfandel was handpicked relatively late in the season, in the fi rst two weeks of April.
After crushing, the must was allowed to soak for several days prior to fermentation to
soften the raisined fruit before being inoculated with a vigorous yeast strain. Th e wine
steadily fermented to dryness and was racked to barrel in early spring. 25% new oak
barrels, primarily French were used, for a total of 20 months, while in barrel the wine
naturally completed malolactic fermentation. Th e 2006 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel was
blended and fi ned before bottling in December 2007 for release in mid 2008.
Aging
Th is vintage may reward cellaring to 2014.
Appearance
Deep brick red
Food Pairing
Slow cooked beef cheek with shitake mushrooms.