2022 TEMPRANILLO

THE STORY

At Myattsfield we champion Spanish and Portuguese varieties as being very well suited to conditions in the Perth Hills.

TASTING NOTES

Sourced from the central Perth Hills, this small batch of Tempranillo has been hand crafted into a medium bodied, complex red. Blackcurrant, mulberry and dark cherry flavours marry with the mocha and spice of Minnesotan American oak.

The Tempranillo fruit for this wine was sourced from a vineyard in the central Perth Hills. The soils found in this vineyard contain a high proportion of ironstone gravels which help to reduce fertility and ensure the vines work hard to access water and nutrients. This is important in Tempranillo as the variety is prone to producing larger berries and high yields if the resources are available which is less than ideal for the production of high quality wines.

In Spain Tempra means the early one, a moniker the variety has acquired as it is typically the first red variety harvested each season. An early harvest is important for balance in Tempranillo as the variety’s pH tends to increase aggressively during ripening. In our experience flavour development plateaus quite early in the ripening process before pH begins to rise. Picking at this time before more acid is lost critical to ensure good flavour along with brightness and vitality from the natural pH.

Hand harvested and vinified in small open fermenters, the wine is pressed off skins to finish fermentation in Hungarian and American oak puncheons (500L barrels). The American oak is sourced exclusively from the Minnesotian forrests adding plenty of the sweet vanillin and spice characters to the wine without the garish coconut flavours often associated with American oak.

” Picked relatively early from a vineyard at the northern end of the Perth Hills, looking for freshness and a medium-weight expression as the winemaking intent. Matured in Hungarian oak. It hits the medium-bodied mark and delivers a sense of freshness and vitality alongside. Vibrant with black cherry juice scents and flavours, licks of root beer and licorice, clove spice dusted over the lot. There’s an ease of drinking here, an early appeal, a sloshiness to the texture and a fine corkscrew of emery board tannin to finish. It lingers with pleasing cherry juice, bitter herbs and clove. A joyous tempranillo, nailed for drinkability.- 92 Points Mike Bennie, Halliday Wine Companion

A beautiful example of a highly drinkable medium bodied wine from this famous Spanish variety. Captures the typical blackcurrant and slightly liqueur cherry characters of the variety. But then a lift of bright raspberry edges in with some nice spice. Smooth and almost velvety. Great drinking in the next few years while all those primary fruit characters are so evident.”93 Points – Ray Jordan