Analysis:
Alcohol: 14% | PH: 3.85 | Titratable acidity: 6.69 g/L
Bottling Date: September 2014
Cellaring: 8+ years
Tasting Notes:
This vintage showcases this fantastic vineyard site for Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose combines ripe cassis, damson plum, blueberry, black olive and hints of dried sage and tobacco. There is cedar, vanilla, marzipan and dark chocolate waiting in the background. The palate is both full bodied yet structured with rich, concentrated blackberry, cassis and plum with complex and savoury notes of dried herbs, graphite and charred meat. The good structure, crisp acidity and firm but ripe tannins combined with a long finish, promise the ability to age well for 8-10 years or more. Pair this with roast beef tenderloin and red wine demi-glace or slowly roasted lamb shoulder.
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 estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested by hand from Black Sage Bench and Lake Osoyoos East Bench at the end of October. They were de-stemmed and gently crushed before being fed by gravity flow into stainless steel tanks where they were allowed to cold soak to extract colour prior to fermentation.
At completion of fermentation the wine was given an extra three days to settle on its skins to enhance structure. It was then pressed off and moved into a selection of barrels. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and then was aged for 20 months. Oak barrels provide for a slow oxygenation that helps integrate the components and smooth the tannins, while the barrel toast (medium to medium plus) lends complex savoury notes. It was bottled unfiltered and allowed to further age before its release.
