Nose
Classic aromas of licorice, fine leather, nice toasted oak and dark ripe berries/cassis fill the glass.
Palate
The mouth-feel is rich with concentrated lush round fruit notes and amazing layers of ripe soft tannins and well-integrated oak. The finish is long end elegant with a soft structure and great minerality. This is a concentrated yet classically balanced Merlot that can be aged and enjoyed for many years to come.
Growing Conditions
The 2017 growing season can be considered above average. It was a warm year with a good amount of rainfall. It was ideal to ripen fruit and bring forth elegant fruit driven wines with good acidity and concentration.
Harvest
The perfectly ripe Merlot was carefully hand-harvested on October 20th and the super ripe Cabernet Franc was harvested on the 27th October 2017.
Bottling
It was bottled unfixed and unfiltered on August 6th 2019.
Winemaking
The grapes were cold-soaked for two days to add to the fruitiness of the wine. The Merlot fruit was fermented in a 6,000-liter upright French oak tank and reached a peak temperature of 91° F and spent 20 days on the skins. The Cabernet Franc was harvested fermented in stainless steel and macerated for 21 days. Pump-overs were done very meticulously three times a day (every eight hours) during the peak of fermentation. The wine was gently pressed and the press fraction above 1.1 Bar was separated.
Aging
After 12 days, the wine went into French oak barriques (50% new and 50% one-year old oak), where Malolactic fermentation finished 100% by the middle of January 2018. The wine matured for 20 months in barrel and was racked of the lees four times.
Appearance
Almost black with a dark red rim in color.
Food Pairing
Serve slightly below room temperature. Pair this special wine with big flavors, such as lamb, steak, aged cheeses and good quality chocolate with a high percentage of cacao. Or enjoy it on its own…with no distractions.
