Old Vine WERFDANS Cinsault 2016 2016

The aromatics are positively brimming with marzipan, Turkish delight, dried coriander seeds, violets and rose petal perfume with a subtle kiss of lychee exoticism. On the palate the quality shift is witnessed in full focus with a beguiling combination of sweet seductive red berry fruits, harmoniously textured concentration and a long, full, persistent finish that simply crashes the senses mainframe and announces something very very special indeed.

Even though the 2015 harvest started earlier than usual, the 2016 harvest started even a week earlier due to the dry conditions experienced. The heat restricted growth, leading to more compact bunches and smaller berries, in turn leading to more concentrated colour and flavor. Ripening was achieved at lower alcohol levels, but acidity was also reduced. Harvest ended about two weeks ahead of schedule. A warm, dry and windy summer kept vineyard growth under control and accelerated ripening. The dry weather resulted in the healthiest seasons in years. This led to good grape analyses with low PH, good acidity and sugar levels, which form the foundation of high quality wines.

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Picked in small crates and left overnight in cold room to bring temperature down to roughly 10 degrees Celsius • The challenge is to interpret the current vintage conditions in order to balance whole bunch, destemming of grapes and adding stalks (tannins). • A combination of whole bunch, destemmed grapes and stalks go into a stainless steel tank and left until natural fermentation starts • One to two soft pump overs per day and left for roughly 2 weeks, pressed and wine transferred into older 225L French oak barrels (minimum oxidation during the process) • Barrel aging commences for 12 – 15 months