2018 Shirvington Wine Notes
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
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2018 The Redwind Cabernet Sauvignon
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2018 Shiraz
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2018 The Redwind Shiraz
Wine Notes:
The Redwind Shiraz comes from Block 9 where the underlying limestone produces berries that are smaller and the fruit is more concentrated. It was vinified in open fermenters with hand plunging, rack and returns and pump overs. The wine was split into 3 parcels – free run, overnight drainings and pressings. The overnight drainings are held in the press and allowed to gently press overnight to extract the wine that is concentrated in flavour and has wonderful tannin structure. This parcel, which makes the majority of the blend, is transferred to new French oak where it underwent 20 months of maturation. New oak is needed to match the depth and intensity of the fruit. The overnight drainings as well as 3 of the best barrels from Block 9 were selected to make a 500 litre blend. No fining or filtration was used in order to capture as much of the wine natural beauty as possible.
Rich, intoxicating aromas of blackberry and plum fruit mingle with coffee bean, dark chocolate and vanillin oak. There is much to unpack here, and the nose just keeps evolving! On the palate the wine has beautiful upfront fruit sweetness of blackberry and mulberry fruit that transcends into savoury allspice, pepper and long, luxurious fine tannins. This wine is exceptionally balanced and well integrated from start to finish.
Vintage Notes
It was back to nearly "normal" for the 2018 vintage, with rainfall during the growing season much below average and harvest a month earlier than 2017. With sub-soil moisture still high from the very wet conditions of 2016 and above average winter rainfall, good canopy growth was expected. Spring rainfall was low and warmer than average temperatures throughout the season helped speed up vine growth. Summer rainfall was much below average resulting in significantly more irrigation than usual.Temperatures were above average, with readings above 30 degrees for a period of 13 days from mid-January. These conditions, combined with lower yields, meant harvest began a month earlier than in 2017. Quality of fruit was excellent with a generally good balance of flavours, sugar and acid.