Nose
The wine has attractive aromatic notes of mulberry, black cherry & plum that are enhanced by hints of dark chocolate, liquorice, nutmeg & pencil shavings.
Palate
Medium-bodied, supple & elegant; filled with dark skinned berry and currant fruit of considerable depth & length, seamlessly integrated oak & firm, but ripe tannins.
Growing Conditions
2016 was one of the longest vintages for the region on record, preceded by good winter rains. A rainfall event in January helped arrest rising sugar concentrations allowing tannin & flavour development in the red varieties to catch up & reach perfect equilibrium.
Harvest
Cabernet Sauvignon (89%) was picked on 2nd April at 13.8° Bé, Merlot (8%) & Cabernet Franc (3%) were picked on 8th April at 13.0° Bé & 14.2° Bé respectively. The Karridale vineyard is sustainably farmed following organic principles.
Bottling
The wine was bottled on 29th January 2018
Winemaking
The fruit underwent a four-day cold soak, & was hand-plunged in open fermenters, spending 19/10/8 days on skins for the Cabernet/Merlot/Franc respectively. MLF took place in barrel).
Aging
18 months in French barriques (45% new). This was followed by barrel selection, blending & bottling
Appearance
Deep red in colour with purple hues.
Food Pairing
Grilled lamb chops in Bordelaise sauce
