Nose
Lifted dark fruit aromas of mulberries and blackcurrants, backed by some spicy, white pepper notes from the Malbec and musk-like perfumes from the Petit Verdot; complex cedar and tarry notes in the background.
Palate
As with the nose, dominated by dark fruit notes, with juicy blackberry and red currant flavours; the acidity and tannin are firm but not in any way aggressive and are well balanced.
Growing Conditions
vintage was really good for winemakers but something of a challenge for viticulturists. Spring rainfall was excellent but with it came conditions that weren’t ideal for flowering. Wet days and low temperatures cause the vines all sorts of problems and although we avoided disease, the fruit set was relatively poor and so crop levels were well down. Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, for down 40%. The yield losses were not just the product of the weather because the birds were hungry in 2015 as well. The Redgum blossom was poor and meant their natural food source was limited and they turned their attention to the grapes when they were still very unripe and only just changing colour. Fortunately the use of vine nets ensured the bird damage was minimal but nevertheless, frustrating. They always seem to be able to find their way under the nets and do some harm. Despite these challenges, the growing conditions through the Summer were terrific, with consistent mild to warm temperatures and no extremes. The hottest day was 37.30C and we had only 4 days when the temperature exceeded 350C. These conditions are absolutely ideal for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and its blending varieties and so, even though we made much less than we would have liked, what we did make was right at the top of the quality tree for our Amy’s wine.
Bottling
11/10/2016
Winemaking
As with all the Moss wood wines, the 2015 Amy’s was harvested by hand. At the winery all varieties were destemmed and pumped into static fermenters, where co-fermentation was carried out, using sequential inoculation of various selected yeasts. Extraction of colour and flavour was by pump-over 3 times per day and temperatures controlled to a maximum of 300C. Time on skins varied a little for each variety – Cabernet Sauvignon 14 days; Malbec for 11 days; Merlot for 14 days and Petit Verdot for 16 days. After pressing, each variety underwent malolactic fermentation in stainless steel before being racked to wood where all barrels were French oak and all were 225 litre volume. In keeping with the emphasis of retaining maximum fruit depth, there were no new barrels used. Time in wood was 18 months. After barrel aging the wine was racked and blended in stainless steel and fining trials were carried out. In the end we felt the wine’s tannin balance was excellent and no fining was necessary and so it was sterile filtered and bottled
Aging
Further 5 years aging.
Appearance
Deep brick red, in bright condition.
