2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Production 540 cases
Release January 2009
Recommended Retail Price $22.00

“A very pleasant Cabernet with well balanced fruit and fine tannin” Sun Herald Uncorked 2008

Tasting Notes

Deep red brick in colour, this wine has aromas of berries mint and dusty oak. Delicate flavours of wild fruits and earth are well balanced by firm tannins. The palate is complex with well integrated American oak leading to an harmonious finish. This Cabernet is well matched with roast vegetables, pasta, pizza and a wide variety of meats. Enjoy now until the end of 2011.

Growing Season

2007 was an excellent growing season however for the 3rd consecutive year little rain fell during the season in our region. We experienced bud burst on the 7th of October which was followed by a small frost on October 14th. Losses from the frost were estimated to be from 5-15% depending on the location in the vineyard. Conditions for flowering were perfect with warm days and very little wind. We were reasonably happy with fruit set however noticed that some bunches had not completely filled. This was most likely due to water stress. Verasion occurred at the usual time and the ripening period was excellent with warm dry days and cool nights. Harvest occurred on March 22nd earlier than usual due to the light crop load.

Winemaking

The grapes were crushed and de-stemmed prior to being transferred to a small stainless open fermentor. The must was inoculated with L2323 yeast and fermentation took place between 20 and 24 degrees celsius. The cap was plunged by hand three times a day. The wine was then pressed off skins at 2 baume. It was then transferred to three and four year old American and French oak and inoculated for secondary fermentation which took one month to complete. The wine was then racked and returned to barrel for maturation. The wine spent nine months in two and three year old French and American barrels prior to bottling in January 2008.

Analysis

pH: 3.6
Ta: 6.2
Res Sugar: 2 g/L