Nose

Red currants and raspberries, well-framed
by black pepper, sweet dark caramel and
oak reminding of smouldering Hickory
ashes

Palate

Crunchy red cherries and an enticing
blend of Asian all-spice, red liquorice and
star anise, developing into warm mocha
notes carried by fine grain savoury tannins
and graphite notes characteristic of our
Wallcliffe vineyard

Growing Conditions

Cape Mentelle’s Zinfandel was planted in
1974 on a ridge of free draining lateritic
gravel on an east west row orientation to
minimise the effects of strong westerly sea
breezes. Traditionally planted to low density
bush vines this vineyard requires fastidious
attention to detail to ensure only the best
quality fruit is produced.A wet winter and warm spring encouraged
uniform growth in all varieties. An ideal
flowering period marked the beginning of
a long dry spell lasting until mid-February
when the whites were all harvested in perfect
conditions over the following four weeks. A
great vintage for Margaret River!

Winemaking

Week of March. After destemming and
individual berry sorting, the must was
allowed to soak at cool temperatures for
several days prior to fermentation. The
wine steadily fermented to dryness prior to
basket pressing directly to large oak vats and
barriques for malolactic fermentation and
maturation. We used 25% new French oak
barrels for a total of 16 months. The wine
was bottled in October 2014

Appearance

Vibrant mulberry

Food Pairing

Slow-roasted Cajun spare ribs, pulled
pork sliders, pepper-crusted prime ribs, or
Oaxaca cheese stuffed poblano peppers with
smoked beans