- Apellation:
- Colchagua Valley
- Vineyard:
- Caliterra Estate
Single Vineyard
- Composition:
- 91% Shiraz
- 5% Malbec
- 3% Petit Verdot
- Alcohol:
- 14.0% by volume
- Final pH:
- 3.48
- Total Acidity:
- 5.74 g/l (tartaric acid)
- Residual Sugar:
- 2.29 g/l
Winemaker Comment
The Syrah vineyard, like the other varieties in the Caliterra vineyards, should at this point in time have a well consolidated root system. In the case of cultivated wine grapevines, in addition to the root volume prediction that takes place during the pruning period, the considerable amount of foliage and canes that fall to the ground must also be considered, in a cycle that will repeat itself while our management and nature allow for it.
This is what, among many other things, the passing of years in a vineyard is all about. After 14 years, trunks and roots have reached an ideal matureness in order to assure consistent, high quality grapes over the years, which has been clearly manifested in the most recent versions of this line of wines.
Vintage Note
The Colchagua Valley had a warm 2007–2008 season with a recorded heat summation of 1,700 degree days, 6.4% higher than the previous year (1,598 degree days) and 2.4% higher than the historic average (1,660 degree days). The different phenological stages (flowering, fruit set, veraison, and ripening) were affected by the cold, dry winter (the average monthly temperatures were lower than the previous season and had more accumulated cold hours as well as winter frosts), which caused budbreak to occur 10-15 days later, but more uniformly, than in the previous season. The high temperatures recorded in January, February, and March quickened the pace of ripening, leading to an early harvest with a significant decrease in yields among red varieties.
Fermentation and Aging
Fermentation was initiated at 28°C but then the temperature was decreased in order to avoid excessive extraction of the elements found in the skin. The wine was stored in oak barrels in which the malolactic fermentation was carried out. Throughout its lengthy development, the tannins were fine tuned and rounded out, and a ripeness in its fruit expression was achieved associated to the unique characteristics of the oak it was stored in, thus creating a balance that provides a pleasant finish.
