2014 Disciples McLaren Flat Cabernet Sauvignon

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New French oak hogshead for 36 months sur lie. Bottles Produced:384

Grab
An ode to the Penfolds style - intensely structured McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon.

Spiel
Each vintage, when a barrel of outstanding quality reveals itself, we reward our Disciples with an offering. Exclusive to our followers, these rare tributes represent our ultimate expressions of ‘kick arse booze’. Enjoy!

Colour
Dark Plum

Bouquet
Cassis and plum fruit flavours with hints of dusty wardrobe, potpourri and tobacco leaf P a l a t e An old school dry red palate of black fruits, cedar oak and chunky mouth-puckering tannins

Cellaring
Drink up, but also a 15+ year proposition

Vintage
‘A game of two halves’ was the story of vintage. Above average winter and spring rainfall led to good vine growth, but a windy spring and some unseasonal frost events resulted in a poor fruit set and potentially low yields. Heat events in January brought on vintage quickly, but the ‘mother of all handbrakes’ was applied in mid February with 100-150mm of rain. This and the following cool weather in March/April gave the reds the perfect hang time. It’s a funny old game, and this vintage of two halves is still under analysis, but a cool season overall and low yields has produced some wines of real finesse that are already showing poise and distinction, reminiscent of 2010. He shoots! He scores!

Vineyard
Melissa’s vineyard is to the east of McLaren Flat in the east of McLaren Vale – 145m above sea level on clay over sandstone.

Vinification
The fruit was crushed/destemmed and fermented at temperatures ranging from 20- 25°C for 10 days on skins. The ferment was managed by a variety of techniques, including ‘aerative pump overs’ and ‘drain and returns’ which assist in extracting colour, flavour and tannin from the grapes. At the end of fermentation, it was drained/pressed, and transferred to a new French oak hogshead to undergo MLF. Post MLF, sulphur