Our first red wine harvested and fermented from the Little Branch Vineyard.

Picked on the 16th of March and immediately crushed. Carefully fermented in stainless steel with a small percentage of whole bunch. Left on skins for 13 days before pressing. Settled in tank for 16 days before transfer to old French oak vats for malolactic fermentation and extended maturation. Bottled without fining on the 16th August 2023. Alcohol 14%. 3.39 pH. TA 6.2. Total Sulphur 53ppm.

Flavour Profile: Spice from the start: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cassia then spun sugar, toffee apple and red fruits, now rose oil, leaf litter, cedar and red brick; aromas that sway an swirl. Bright red fruits dominate the palate before a zephyr of spice, and a finish laced with musk.

Structure & Texture: Suave, sophisticated and intellectual, turning it on before stealing your wallet, and yet, a yearning for more. Stealthy tannin hidden by complex flavours. The texture has a pink hu and slips past the front palate with barely a ripple before building quickly to the back and travelling on. Flavours and textures that stay with you long past the first sip.

Cellaring: The first vintage so we'll hedge our bets and say 10+ years. - Stephen Pannell