Ata Rangi Célèbre 2019 · 뉴질랜드

A brilliant season for the late ripening varietals that make up our Célèbre blend. The season finished with a long dry spell in April that enabled the merlot, malbec, cabernet franc and syrah to reach perfect ripeness. A full and enticing nose of aromas; blackberry and boysenberry tempered by spice notes of cardamom and cinnamon and a more complex savoury hint of sweet cedar. A seamless blend of tannins, ripe fruit and oak carry the wine to a satisfying and balanced finish. The merlot and malbec were fermented together, with a preferment maceration of around 4-6 days until indigenous yeasts complete the fermentation over ten to twelve days. The fermenters are then closed up and the wine is left to slowly macerate with the skins for a further 10 days. The syrah which ripens earlier is fermented separately with a shorter fermentation period to keep it bright and floral. Pristine cabernet franc was 100% whole bunch fermented and added an exotic high note to the blend. Aged in French oak for 22 months prior to bottling to soften the tannins and allow the wine to slowly open and evolve. The 2019 Célèbre is a blend of merlot 45%, syrah 40% and small portions of malbec 10% and cabernet franc at 5%. This is a wonderful release of Célèbre, the significant vine age of 30 years and over, contribute to the concentration and complexity of this wine.