THE WINE

On release it has an appealing lemon hue.  The bouquet is sumptuous and compelling, both fruit driven and intriguingly savoury.  Aromas of ripe peach, nectarine and green apple are interlaced with toasty notes of roast chestnut, smoky bacon, flint, sandalwood, and a whisp of struck match.  The palate is a deluxe showcase of multi-layered richness and precision.  Dense and textured, yet fresh and vivid.  A gloriously expansive mouthfeel is perfectly balanced by a whip of rousing acidity that shimmies across the midpalate, setting up for an explosive and gratifying finish.

THE HARVEST AND WINEMAKING

We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods.  The fruit was hand-picked in stages during late March and early April, and then gently trodden underfoot to increase complexity and phenolic structure.  The free-run, non-clarified juice was then put into large French oak barrels (puncheons), 70% of which were old to limit pickup of oak flavour.  In these it underwent primary fermentation by the grapes indigenous yeasts.  The wine was then matured in the puncheons on its natural deposits of yeast lees (sur lie).  In the summer after harvest, it started to go through spontaneous secondary (malolactic) fermentation.  It was regularly tasted during this time and the fermentation was stopped when the ideal balance was obtained.  It had approximately 12 months maturation prior to bottling.