Blend: 53% Syrah 47% Cabernet Sauvignon
Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.5% | PH: 3.81 | Titratable acidity: 6.7 g/L
Bottling Date: August 2014
Cellaring: 7+ years
Tasting Notes:
This co-fermentation of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon produced a rich and seductive wine with balance and great complexity. It is full bodied and packed with concentrated black fruit flavours of black cherry, blackberry and baked blueberry over a background of intriguing spices, bittersweet dark cocoa and earthy notes that persist on a long finish. The tannins are well integrated with a hint of a dusty cedar grip making the wine suitable for further ageing but also fabulous for drinking now with big, rich and hearty dishes such a beef stew or elk tenderloin smothered in peppercorn sauce.
Wine Making:
2012 grapes benefited from an exceptional growing season offering warm and steady temperatures and bringing phenolic ripeness, sugars and acids into perfect harmony.
The Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested by hand
from Burrowing Owl’s Vineyard on Black Sage Bench in early November.
They were de-stemmed and gently crushed before being fed by gravity
flow into the same tank where they were allowed to cold soak for
extraction of colour. The co-fermentation process helps to marry the
flavours and creates a unique harmony to the blend. After completion
the wine was given 5 days to settle on its skins to enhance structure. It
was then pressed off and moved into barrels to allow for the malolactic
fermentation to occur. Afterwards, it was aged for 21 months in a selection of barrels that helped integrate the components and smooth the tannins while adding complex savoury notes. 2012 Athene was bottled unfiltered and allowed to further age before its release.
