Taste
Enticing aromas of brown sugar and vanilla custard entwine with a bright citrus note reminiscent of home-made lemon curd. The palate is layered with ripe golden peaches and caramelised figs, while being driven by a seam of flinty minerality. There is an earthy richness, evoking thoughts of freshly cut hay, roasted nuts and faint whiffs of wood smoke. A wine with hidden charms, tight structure and excellent ageing potential.
Vinification
The vineyards were hand-picked separately at high ripeness levels and whole-bunch pressed using very low maceration press cycles. Some of the fruit was pressed directly to barrel, the balance was lightly settled and then racked to barrel. The juice went through a natural indigenous yeast fermentation in French oak barriques (20% new), with the final phase continuing for many months. The wine received occasional lees stirring and underwent a complete malolactic fermentation. It was transferred out of oak after 11 months and bottled in September 2023, with alcohol 13.5%, pH 3.34 and acidity of 5.7 g/l.