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Tasting Notes 2011
Maipo Valley
Vineyard : All fruit was sourced from our own vineyard - located within the coolest, westernmost reaches of the Casablanca Valley. A blend of three different clones of Sauvignon Blanc (65% clone 107, 32% clone 242 and 3% clone 1) all from 8 year old vines. Sourced from two different soil types within the vineyard (97% from hillside blocks planted on a red clay mixed with decomposed granite with the remaining 3% from a clay loam soil in the flattest part of the vineyard). The blocks used in this blend were cropped at an average of 6.5 tonnes per hectare (2.6 t/acre).
Harvest : The grapes were carefully machine harvested at night, with an ambient temperature of between 4 and 8ºC (39 to 46ºF) between March 28th and April 15th, 2011.
Vinification : On arrival at the winery all grapes were first destemmed and crushed to stainless steel tanks (via a chiller in order to drop the temperature to 5ºC or 41ºF) where they were then left to cold soak for 55 hours. Following this time the free-run juice was drained by gravity from the tanks. The remaining skins and juice were then dug-out and gently squeezed using pneumatic presses in order to separate light from hard pressings. The resulting juices were then left to cold settle (at 12ºC/54ºF) for 4 days following which time 69% of the blend was racked to stainless steel tanks, inoculated with selected yeasts and ultra-cool fermented (reaching temperatures as low as 8ºC/46ºF at the peak of the fermentation). Following fermentation this component was aged for 2 months on gross lees (without stirring) before blending.
The remaining 31% of the blend was fermented with selected yeasts in 2nd and 3rd use French oak barrels with temperatures peaking at 22ºC/72ºF. Post fermentation the barrels were stirred weekly in order to encourage lees break-down and the subsequent pick-up of “yeasty” characters in the wine. After two months the barrel component was blended with the tank fermented component, cold stabilised, filtered and bottled.
Tasting Notes : Intense notes of ginger, green jalapeño chilli and smoke dominate on the nose. In the mouth flavours of grapefruit, white peach and nectarine lead to flinty, mineral notes on the finish. A bright, zesty acidity imparts excellent structure and length.
Clonal Composition of the Wine :
