RESCHKE 2021 BT MERLOT

Viticulture

Sourced from a single vineyard, grown on the Terra Rossa soils which make Coonawarra famous. The 25 year old Merlot vineyard is grown on slightly heavier soils that provide a little more vigour, allowing the vine canopy reaches sufficient length and density ensuring the grapes reach complete ripeness. Tight pruning to reduce bud numbers assists with regulating the shoot length, with trimming undertaken to reduce the shoot length when required during the ripening season. The Merlot block reaches peak flavor late in the season due as the larger berries take time to develop and tannin's take time to soften and build structure.

Tasting notes

This Merlot is a medium bodied style with abundant ripe red berry fruit flavors displayed on a rich round mid palate. The
red currant, plum and dark berry fruit characters vibrant and well integrated with subtle oak characters.

Vinification

Harvested late in the season each year, our Coonawarra Merlot is harvested during the cool autumn days and sorted in the vineyard. The ripe grapes were gently crushed to 25 onne vinomatic fermenters where they underwent 48 hours maceration prior to fermentation. Fermented with a robust yeast strain at 26-28 degrees Celsius, the vinomatics were rotated twice a day, mixing the fermenting juice with the warmer skins to control fermentation temperature and maximise the extraction of color, flavor and tannin's. After 8 days of fermentation the juice was drained and the skins discharged from the vinomatic into a bag press below. After gentle pressing the drained juice and pressing were combined as the fermentation ran to completion in tank. At the conclusion of alcoholic fermentation the wines were transferred to French and American oak barrels and hogsheads. 12 months oak maturation allowed tannin's to full integrate and enhanced the structure of the wine with fine grain oak tannin's.

Region

Coonawarra, South Australia

Varietal

100% Chardonnay

Analysis

Alcohol 14.5%