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On release the wine has a bright ruby hue. There are aromas and flavours of cherries and red berry fruits with impressions of raspberries, mulberries and blackberries. There are also savoury hints of grilled mushrooms, black olives and roast game. Ripe fine grained tannins give it structure and length, but these are covered with a velvety robe, leaving impressions of dark chocolate and spice. While ready to drink on release it should develop extra nuances and complexities over the next few years in bottle.
In making this wine we have endeavored to use traditional Burgundian methods. After picking the fruit was selected by hand so that only the best was retained and put into small vats. These were kept cool for several days and then allowed to warm. At this stage natural fermentation commenced due to the action of the grapes’ own wild yeasts. During the fermentation phase the cap of fermenting grape skins was gently submerged twice daily, using a manual plunger, to keep them moist and healthy, while avoiding extraction of rough tannins. When fermentation had finished the grape remnants were left in the wine to help give it structure and mouth feel. The wine was subsequently drained and put into barriques made by selected Burgundian coopers. When the weather warmed in the spring after harvest, the wine underwent spontaneous malo-lactic fermentation through the action of its own indigenous micro-organisms. This wine was clarified by racking prior to bottling.
The spring and summer were particularly dry and hot, which lead to the development of ripe tannins and flavours. We were becoming worried that the vines might become too heat and drought stressed when we had an unexpected downpour, which relieved the vines and set the streams gurgling. This season was subsequently brought back into balance by a cool autumn, which helped conserve vibrant red fruit characters in the berries, while allowing full ripeness.
*notes provided by Main Divide Winery
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