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  • Cape Mentelle 331 Wallcliffe Rd, Margaret River, WA 6285

    • We acknowledge the Wadandi Boodja (Saltwater People’s Country) as the traditional custodians of the lands where we now grow and produce our stunning wines. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and commit to continued listening to and learning from First Nations’ voices.

2018 Zinfandel

2018 Zinfandel
2018 Zinfandel - View 1
2018 Zinfandel - View 2
2018 Zinfandel - View 3
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$94.00
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“Australia’s leading example of this bold and generous variety”
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Zinfandel was introduced to our Estate vineyard from California in 1974 and has developed a loyal following over the decades. With only 1.15 ha planted across 22 rows, this dry grown, bush vine Zinfandel can be prone to unruly behaviour in the vineyard. Great attention to detail in the care of the vines, including 100% hand harvesting, results in a wine that is always a joy to taste when released, 2 years post-vintage.

Appearance
Deep, bright magenta with dark plum edges.
Nose
The aromatics are bright and complex with dark chocolate covered black cherry, toasted coconut, black forest berries and fig. The nose unfurls to reveal hints of sea salt, spearmint, cayenne and cardamom overlaying intracacies of dried pot pourri and rich Christmas cake
Palate
The palate bursts forth with ripe juicy black fruits of cherry and plum with streaks of raspberry coulis entwined with fresh tobacco and mocha notes. The tannins fan out framing the fruit with good integration carrying mid palate sweetness through to a long fine yet firm finish. The subtle smoke and toast of the oak give a dark forest floor character
Blend
Zinfandel 91%, Shiraz 9%
Cellaring
Ready for enjoyment in its youth, this wine can also be cellared for 10-25 years and beyond
Food Pairing Notes
We suggest matching this wine with grilled, thick cut lamb chops and rosemary smashed potatoes, or alternatively a fresh homemade spaghetti topped with either slow cooked bolognese ragu with veal and pork meatballs or with slow cooked eggplant, olive and capers. Another wonderful pairing is with a gluten free chocolate cake made with 70% cocoa drizzled with a dark berry coulis or a simple bowl of wild forest berry fruits topped with triple cream and a sprinkle of sea salt
Show Technical Notes and Reviews
The Vineyard
The fruit for this wine is sourced from our original block of bush vines, planted in 1974 at the western edge of the Wallcliffe Vineyard, together with a small parcel planted by our founders close by. Trellising is a hybrid bush vine with training wires and all operations are conducted manually throughout the season as this fussy variety requires enormous care, although it remains one of the team’s favourite ‘unruly children’. We conducted extensive shoot thinning plus removed the shoulders of the bunches to enable disease free perfect ripening
Winemaking
After destemming and a very light crush, the must was allowed to soak at cool temperatures for several days prior to fermentation to naturally rehydrate the raisins - so typical for this variety. The wine steadily fermented to dryness prior to basket pressing directly to oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and maturation. We used around 50% new oak with a combination of origins (French (50%), American (25%) and Hungarian (25%)) and blended in a touch of Shiraz to excentuate spice and complexity, with a total of 20 months aging
Analysis
15.7% alcohol, 6.41 g/l total acidity, 3.45 pH

Wine Companion

Erin Larkin
95

91/9% zinfandel/shiraz. Hand picked, wild ferment, on skins for 51 days, left for 7 months on ferment lees, blended and matured a further 12 months in (50% new) oak, a 50/25/25% mix of French, Hungarian and American. From the near-perfect 2018 vintage, springs this intense, oak-driven and concentrated wine. The year has imparted a concentrated ripeness and balance that will stand it in good stead in the cellar. The evident oak is distracting right now, but will surely mellow over time. A wine with a cult following.

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Product Reviews

christoffel's Gravatar
christoffel
(08/10/2022 at 12:07 AM)
A amazing richly fruited wines that show lots of jammy cherry and blackberry tones, alongside lifted accents of spice, violet and orange.Needs 2 more years

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