2018 WHITE LABEL TIMBERVINES TEMPRANILLO GRACIANO SHIRAZ

Growing Season

Low yielding, high quality, clean fruit at full ripeness was a hallmark of the excellent 2018 vintage. Tempranillo is a late ripening variety making this field blend one of our last picks every year. In 2018 this vineyard was picked in the last week of February celebrating the end of vintage and the end of working weekends!

Vineyard

The grapes are from our Timbervines Vineyard planted to red volcanic soils and cover a tiny 2 hectares. The three varieties are inter planted as a Field Blend. The challenge when making wine from a field blend is that the different varieties ripen at different stages so the art of making good wine involves balancing these ripeness’s. We enjoy the unpredictability of this and that the conditions of the vintage and the terroir will dictate the style of wine each year.

Winemaking

All three varieties were harvested and fermented together under cool conditions using cultured aromatic yeast.  After fermentation the wine was placed in a mixture of new and used French and American oak barriques and puncheons where it matured for 12 months prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes

This is perfectly balanced, medium bodied wine with bright plush fruit, silky tannins and well-defined acidity which gives a long, refreshing finish. The nose has violets and black fruits and the palate has loads of forest berries, a touch of dark chocolate, soft tannins and refreshing acidity.

Vine Age/Clone

10 years / Busby

Cellaring Potential

20+ years

Food Match

Duck and pork belly cassoulet with creamy parmesan polenta

Accolades

92 points Nick Butler The Real Review

91 Points 2021 Halliday Wine Companion

Wine Composition

pH                                                    3.46

Titratable Acidity                              7.1g/L

Alcohol                                             13.5%

Residual Sugar                               < 1g/L