Nose
Lifted red berries, plum, black olive, cedar
Palate
Plush and dark-fruited with balanced acidity and fine-grained tannins.
Harvest
A tricky season commencing with early bud break and strong growth. A cool, wet November impacted fruit set, resulting in reduced yields. Early summer was hot and dry, but February brought more cool, wet conditions until some dry, warm March days which helped ripen the reds. Organic farming had the vineyard in terrific shape to deal with the season's challenges.
Winemaking
Bunches of Merlot fruit were de-stemmed but not crushed, in order to preserve the whole berries, before being transferred to a static fermenter. Daily pumpovers were used to evolve tannin extraction, before pressing and then maturation for 11 months in French oak, of which 32% was new. Bottling occurred in June 2022.
Appearance
Vibrant crimson red
Food Pairing
Filet mignon, roasted tomatoes and olives
