Climatic conditions in vintage 2019 progressed in two halves. Running up to autumn 2019, the conditions were moderate. From then, the conditions were warm. They had to make a difficult decision about when to harvest. On the usual ripening parameters, they would have begun harvest in mid-late February (very early). At that time, the fruit was ‘dumb’ – lacking in aroma and taste, indeed a little green. This is explained by the difference between sugar and flavour (physiological) ripeness in grapes. They decided to wait until the fruit developed better flavour ripeness and character, which occurred in the first week of March. This is why their wines from the 2019 vintage are somewhat fuller in body and higher in alcohol than usual. This is not a change of direction in wine style but a considered response to the conditions of this vintage. The offer is flavour-abundant wines with excellent balance and texture that well reflect to terroir of Hurley vineyards in the particular conditions of the 2019 vintage.
This is wine is entirely from selected barrels of Garamond. The fruit was harvested on 3 March 2019, fermented under the action of indigenous yeast, basket-pressed on 29 March 2019 and, after twenty months in barrel (one third new), it was bottled on 3 November 2019. Closed with Diam cork.
Mid-garnet again but deeper. In the nose there are alluring scents of flowers and ripe raspberries plus red cherries and pressed delicatessen meat like mortadella. The palate has concentrated flavours of black cherries and squishy forest berries which flare in the back palate. A seamless luscious texture framed by fresh acidity combines with fine drying tannins to create a dry finish which fully exposes fruit flavours that linger long and clean. The overall effect is one of complexity and sophistication. To 2032. Alc/vol 14.5 %
