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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Vineyard
A section of our Weightmans Block 1 vineyard was set aside for the crafting of this wine. Planted on red brown loamy soil, the underlying subsoil is composed of stone and gravel providing the vines with a deep, well-drained profile to grow in. This patch of Chenin Blanc was selected due to its early ripening characteristics, which results in early flavour development at low sugar levels and with excellent natural acidity. We have always believed that Chenin Blanc grown in Margaret River was perfectly suited to making sparkling wine, and this particular site delivers wonderful fruit with perfect flavour, sugar and acid balance.
Style: This wine has been made using the traditional sparkling method - Methode Champenoise - using fruit from our oldest Chenin
Blanc vineyard. Selected hand-harvested fruit and six months on lees for secondary fermentation has produced a wine
displaying complexity and refined elegance.
Food Pairing: Perfect with light seafood dishes.
Wine Information
Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
Alc/Vol: 13.5%
pH: 3.16
Total Acidity: 8.2
Oak Maturation: NA
Harvest Date: 24 to 26 February 2018
Bottling Date: Tirage 18 May 2018, disgorged November 2018
Cellaring Potential: Drink now for immediate enjoyment
Colour: Pale straw
Nose: Delicate citrus and lifted fresh apple aromas
Palate: A vibrant and fine palate displaying citrus, red apple and lemonade flavours with hints of fresh bread, finishing with a clean
crisp natural acidity.
Vintage
Following several years of early vintages and the exceptionally late 2017, it was very nice to have a 'normal' season again. Excellent budburst across all varieties was followed by a beautifully warm November, which provided ideal conditions for flowering and very good fruit set. Summer proved to be quite mild with just a few hot days, particularly in December. A cool, overcast February resulted in the average maximum temperature for the month being close to two degrees lower than the long term average. Fortunately this cool, dry weather continued through the lead-up to harvest, enabling fruit to ripen slowly, accumulating intense varietal flavours whilst retaining natural acidity and all our whites were harvested in excellent condition.
The Wine
Hand-harvested on 24 and 26 February, the fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed to avoid phenolics from the skins. The juice was settled overnight before fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The cool ferment enabled the fresh fruit aromatics to be maintained. The wine was fined, filtered and tirage bottled on 18 May 2018. The secondary fermentation occurred in bottle and the wine remained on lees until November 2018 to gain additional complexity and a fine bead.
Vuosikerta 2018
AUSTRALIA: Very promising quality with the most optimistic reviewers declaring 2018 great in every region and for every variety. The more cautious view is that early frosts reduced yields, but that consistent good weather throughout the second half of the growing season actually resulted in great potential.
Barossa 2018 vintage to savor
The 2018 Barossa vintage was completed at the end of April 2018, with growers and winemakers satisfied with a high quality vintage and good yields.
“The flavors and colors of the reds are wonderful, and the natural acids in the Eden Valley whites surprisingly high, with early varieties this year including Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet,” said Louisa Rose, head of winemaking at Yalumba.
The growing season is off to a good start, with winter 2017 precipitation about 10% above average. However, spring rainfall was only 78% of average in the Barossa Valley (BV) and 98% in the Eden Valley (EV), and December rainfall was only 57%. % of average in BV (88% in EV).
Drier soils, combined with warmer than average days in October and November (October 2ºC above average in VB (1.8ºC in EV) and November 1.1ºC above average in BV (1.6 ºC in EV), allowed the vine canopies to grow quickly, to flower well and to form a good number of clusters.
January and February were hot and dry, with very hot temperatures in February slowing the rate of ripening. January was slightly above average (1.4°C during the day but closer to average at night) and February was about average during the day, but with nighttime temperatures significantly warmer than average. average in the Barossa Valley (5.8°C warmer).
With summer rainfall at 50% of average, growers with access to water, soil moisture monitoring, good irrigation management and healthy soils experienced less stress – and subsequently delivered healthy fruit and consistent yields.
The Indian summer of March and early April was “the icing on the cake”, with average temperatures, without extremes, perfect for ending the vintage. The 28-30mm of rain on April 14-15 did not cause any major problems for picking – and was a welcome post-harvest watering for most Barossa growers.
Overall, in 2018, Barossa Valley crushed 56,970 tonnes*, down 22% from the 2017 vintage, but 9% from the five-year average. In 2018, Eden Valley crushed 11,593 tonnes*, down 3% compared to 2017.
The total Barossa crush of 68,563 tonnes* represented 9% of the total volume and 25% of the total crush value in South Australia.
Average prices for Barossa Valley varieties remained stable in 2018, with Shiraz at $2252 per tonne, down 1% from last year. At Eden Valley, the average price of Shiraz increased by 11% to $2636 per tonne and Cabernet Sauvignon increased by 15% to $2354.
*Wine Australia estimates the response rate for wine grape crush in South Africa to be 85%, so the actual total Barossa crush is estimated at between 75,000 and 80,000 tonnes.
