Richard Hamilton ‘Burton’s Vineyard’ Old Vine Grenache

Grenache requires patience to allow for grape flavours to fully ripen. We select the lower yielding vines with evenly ripened fruit at harvest as our primary means of ensuring the quality of this wine. The fruit was de-stemmed to eliminate any stalks which may have imparted green tannins and fermented with partial whole berry in an oak vat and a small fermenter. Emphasis was placed on building tannins to create roundness while vibrant fruit was ensured through keeping the temperature at around 22 degrees Celcius for the core of the fermentation. Following malolactic fermentation, the wine was racked to a 4 year old vat and 5-6 year old hogsheads where it was matured for seven months with two rackings. Maturation in large vats ensures oak plays a minimalist, supportive role.