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Wine Information
The latter part of winter and the beginining of spring were very mild for the time of the year and also very dry. This produced early budding - some 10 days earlier than average. In April the temperature suddenly dropped, causing an arrest in the growth of the buds. The summer was very hot and sunny and this weather continued for the whole of September and for the duration of the harvest which meant that at the time of picking, the grapes were exceptionally healthy and with a high sugar concentration. Overall the 1997 harvest has been somewhat less than expected in terms of quantity - but in terms of quality, this is an exceptional vintage, probably even better than the much acclaimed 1990 vintage and one of the greatest of the last fifty years.
VINIFICATION
Merlot was harvested at mid September, approximately a week before the Cabernet Sauvignon. After destemming and light crushing, the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were vinified separately; maceration took place in stainless steel tanks over a period of 12 days, during which time alcoholic fermentation was also completed, at a temperature never exceeding 30 °C. The resulting wine is very rich in colour, but soft on the palate without any astringency.The wines were then transferred to new French oak barriques (Troncais and Alliers) where malolactic fermentation was completed by the year's end. The wines were then racked, blended and then returned to the barrels for about 14 months aging, followed by bottling and a further 10 months minimum in bottles before release. Alcohol : 13,5% Vol.
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Syrah and other red grape varieties.