The Pledge Our Old Vine 2022
TASTING NOTES
A captivating straw-gold colour. On the nose, delightful aromas of lemon zest, fresh pineapple, elder flower, honey suckle and subtle hints of vanilla lactone. On the palate, a symphony awaits, with notes of baked apple, luscious honeydew melon and the rich essence of roasted macadamia nuts, all complemented by a delightful touch of spice.
VINEYARDS
This 1.76 ha Old Vine vineyard was planted in 1983 on decomposed granite in a E-W row direction. The duplex soil contains gravel and sand with clay underneath. Drip irrigation helps for stress relief during pre- and post-harvest and to preserve flavours and aromas. Low yields of 6-7 tons per hectare are obtained.
WINEMAKING
Handpicked grapes. Overnight skin contact in the press, which allows the few raisin-berries to swell which contribute a honey suckle aroma. After two days of settling, the juice was fermented in a stainless-steel tank at about 15-17°C with specially selected yeast strains. Halfway through fermentation the must was moved to a combination of 300L and 400L French oak barrels (with a blonde to medium light toasting, of which 77% first fill and 23% second fill) for 12 months. No malolactic conversion occurred to preserve the freshness of the wine. Only the best barrels were selected for this wine two months before bottling.
