Spirit of Marlborough 2007 - Library Wine

A truly good warm year with a long ripening period. We picked first the Merlot and then the Cabernet Franc mid-April at a tiny yield of 600g.

The lure of producing this wine is what brought us to Marlborough. The sandy and gravelly soils of our vineyard are akin to those of the Pomerol* region. Both climates are moderated by their proximity to the Ocean and the presence of rivers yielding wines of exclusive velvety quality best after 10 years of ageing.
Extended maceration time and a long natural fermentation extracted the beautiful flavours. Malolactic fermentation followed in partly new French barriques where the wine matured for a total of 30 month. Unfined and unfiltered. Natural sediments may show.

The aromas leaping out of the glass from brought back memories of ‘Mon Cherie’. The praline which is famous for its "Piedmont Cherry", a unique composition of dark chocolate and a special liqueur. There are still wonderful ripe black fruit flavours and aromas of Cassis (a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants). The palate is amazingly fresh given the age and the finish is long and savoury. Wonderful to drink with lots of life in it. Very elegant. Tasted Sept 2020.

Varieties	50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc
Soil	Shallow (<45cm) stony, gravel and sandy soil. Well drained, developed from stony alluvium.
Planting Density	5,500 vines/ha
Yield	3t/ha
Vine planted	1996
Alcohol	14.5%
Residual Sugar	<1g/L
Ageing Potential	>15 years