Nose
Enticing aromatic notes of rose petals, violets, soft red berries and aromatic spices.
Palate
The palate has vibrant berry fruits seasoned with a delicate touch of vanillin. In structure, the wine is fine and plush with guiding silky tannins and a soft mineral acidity, adding length and finish.
Growing Conditions
As the seemingly, never-ending vintage of 2017 came to a close in early May, we reflect on a most unusual season. The cold, wet winter and spring of 2016 saw annual rainfall above the averages of the past decade. Budburst and early spring growth were slow, and it became evident early on, that the start to vintage would be delayed by 3 to 4 weeks. In addition, early yield estimates were above average. Anecdotes of the very cool 2006 vintage began to circulate as summer progressed in the same, mild fashion. The one bright light was the comparative data of heat summation between 2006 and 2017 with 2017 still appearing to be warmer. But were we heading for the perfect calamity of high yields in a cool, wet season? Fungal diseases began to thrive in the humid and cool conditions as the white harvest began. Careful fruit selection, removal and some early harvesting were necessary to retain quality. Across the regions, it was evident some whites would not reach maturity and would remain on the vine.
Winemaking
In an endeavor to craft a vibrant and complex wine, many winemaking techniques are employed in the making of this wine. Selected blocks are hand-picked, all blocks are hand sorted, and a portion of cold soaked and whole bunches are also incorporated before fermentation. At dryness, the wines are basket pressed, then allowed to settle before decanting to French oak. The oak maturation combines barriques, hogsheads and 600lt puncheons of which 20% are new and 80% once used. The secondary malolactic fermentation is initiated and completed in oak where the wine remains for a further 7 months. The wine was blended, fined with fresh egg white, filtered and then bottled.
