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Analysis at Harvest

Sugar 21.0 – 22.4 Brix

pH 3.30 to 3.41

Acid 7.4 to 9.0 TA

Harvest date 18th and 26th Feb

Clones P58 (60%), I10V5 (41%)

Vintage Notes

After a winter of moderate rain and temperatures the vines moved steadily to flowering some 4-5 days earlier than average. Rainfall throughout the growing season was lower than average and there were no extended heat events. The ripening period resulted in the grapes maturing smoothly to sugar and flavour ripeness. Harvest was 7-9 days earlier than the average of recent seasons, even with a larger than average crop load. In summary the season has produced ripeness early but with bright fruit flavours, nice structure and good acid balance.

Winemaking

Hand-picked fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed into a tank and settled overnight. It was then transferred into French oak barriques and puncheons (26% New, 13% second use, 15% third use and 46% older) and inoculated with a neutral yeast. From May until late winter the barrels were stirred every two weeks until MLF was completed. For this vintage 40% completed MLF. The wine was left on yeast lees until November when it was transferred to tank to prepare for bottling. The wine was late Dec 2016, 8 months after harvest.

Wine Analysis

Alcohol 13.6%

pH 3.13

Acid 6.3 g/l

Sugar 0.98 g/l

Nose

Aromas of citrus fruits, particularly grapefruit and lemon, nectarine and
a hint of crème brulé.

Palate

Similar to previous vintages in its elegance and fineness after a near perfect 2016 vintage. Subtle flavours reflective of the aromas – particularly lemon, grapefruit, stone fruit and elegant oak. The wine has a soft middle palate with good length and a nice acid balance. Similar in structure to the 2012 and 2013 vintage but perhaps more linear.