Harvest Date:

March 2008

Bottled Date:

December 2008

Alcohol:

13.5%

Residual Sugar:

2.7 g/L

Titratable Acidity:

5.5 g/L

Viticulture:

Hand harvested from the family owned Waihopai Valley and Wairau sites. Soil in the vineyard is of stony silt with loam topsoil and free draining. Canopy Management is vertical shoot positioning with shoot and crop thinning.

Winemaking:

Fermented in open stainless steel fermenters, cold soaked and hand plunged during fermentation. Pressed and transferred to old and new French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation, and 10 months maturation.

Tasting Notes:

A mid ruby red colour with garnet hues. A toasty nose, showing lifted red fruit, with hints of strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, tamarillo and cinnamon spice. The entry is soft and generous, with delicious fresh raspberry and cherry fruit building in the mid-pallet. The tannins are very soft and slightly vanillin, making this an ideal early drinking style.

Cellaring:

Cellaring potential up to 5 years. Best to drink 2009 to 2014.

Food
Accompaniments:

A wine to enjoy with lamb, game and poultry dishes, as well as Italian or vegetarian style food.