Tasting Notes 2010
Syrah Gran Reserva 2010, Casablanca Valley
Vineyard : 100% Syrah from the Casablanca Valley cropped at an average of 5 tons per hectare (2 tons per acre).
Harvest : Harvest was carried out by hand between the 12th and 17th of May, 2010.
Vinification : On arrival at the winery all grapes were first subjected to a whole cluster selection. This was followed by destemming (without crushing) and then an individual berry selection before being gravity fed to small open-top tanks. A 10 day cold soak (at 5ºC/41ºF) ensued after which time the must was warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts and fermented during 10 days with temperatures peaking at 32ºC/90ºF. During fermentation the vats were hand-plunged three to four times daily in order to extract the ideal amount of tannin and colour. Following the completion of fermentation the must was subjected to an additional 7 days of post fermentation maceration (to give a total of 27 days total skin contact). The wine was then pressed off skins and put to a mixture of new (60%) and 2nd use (40%) French oak barrels for 12 months during which time it was racked twice: once in the Spring (upon the completion of malolactic fermentation) and then once again in Autumn shortly before bottling. After bottling the finished wine was carefully aged for three months in our cellar prior to release.
Tasting Notes : Bright purple in colour, on the nose lifted floral notes of lavender and violet predominate together with a hint of blueberry. In the mouth lashings of boysenberry combine with fresh acidity and crisp tannins leading to a long, vibrant finish.
Wine Analysis :
