Nose
Typically lifted and aromatic, the fruit characters are bright and charming – pretty
raspberries, mulberries and violets with the Stella Bella house style subtle nutmeg from the
oak. Enormously appealing.
Palate
This is a medium bodied and easy drinking wine, with the 2013 vintage producing merlot of
exceptional quality. The palate is juicy and salivating with red and blue fruits backed by milk
chocolate and restrained vanillin oak. The soft, silky tannins and the higher percentage of
merlot create a luscious and generous finish.
Growing Conditions
This vintage was a stand out for producing merlot grapes of exceptional quality. Extremely
strong winds and cool conditions during flowering had a significant effect on fruit set and
therefore on yield across all varieties. The low crop levels along with a warm December and
January resulted in perfect ripening conditions, with harvest beginning mid‐February which is
about average. Little to no rainfall across February and March allowed all varieties to develop
without any disease pressure, allowing us to determine the ideal picking date for perfect skin
and seed maturity.
Winemaking
The cabernet sauvignon component was held on skins for 10 days to help build the structure
of the wine. The merlot was pressed earlier to retain bright fruit aromatics, while still
providing mid palate sweetness. The traditional Bordelaise winemaking technique of
délistage was used during maceration to provide bright aromatics while increasing oxygen in
order to help with tannin polymerisation. 10% new French oak was used on this wine to
complement the fruit while providing some subtle mocha and vanillin oak sweetness. The
wine was held in oak for 12 months and racked and returned twice before being fined with
Margaret River free range eggs, filtered and bottled.
Appearance
Vivid crimson.
Food Pairing
Sticky lamb finger joys (ribs!), smokey Texan style barbecued
perfection.
