Spirit of Marlborough 2014 - Library Wine

A vintage basking in long, sunny days and abundant sunshine hours! The warm December made for perfect flowering and fruit set. A beautiful dry summer and autumn matched by cooler night-time temperatures made for an ideal long growing season allowing the flavours in the fruit to excel. We hand-picked perfect physiologically ripe grapes at a low yield of 700g/ vine.

A long cold soak of the grapes allowed to extract the superb flavours. I then let the must naturally progress through a long wild yeast fermentation and extended skin maceration. After gentle pressing, the young wine was transferred into partly new French Barriques where it underwent the second natural malolactic fermentation and matured on its fine lees for a total of 30 months. Matured in the bottle in our barrel hall at perfect conditions for a further 3 years. No fining. No filtration. Natural wine.

The 2014 Spirit reveals vibrant blackberries, cassis, black currants with touches of cigar box and dark chocolate. Delicately crafted with nuanced, quietly intense layers of vivacious black fruits, the palate features a solid frame of polished, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally. This sophisticated power house offers superb precision and opulence, yet is immensely elegant. Juicy on the palate with a huge long finish, this one is made to last forever. A regal wine like the a true king!