Petaluma Coonawarra Merlot 2016

Petaluma Coonawarra Merlot 2016 vintage is a bold, deeply flavoured dry red wine. Black and red fruits and abundant firm, fine tannins complement the lovely char of new elegant French oak. Rich, full and bright, it is a big approachable fruit driven dry red, typical of low yielding Coonawarra Merlot. 

An incredibly dry winter and spring in 2015 preceded the hottest December on record in Petaluma's Evans Vineyard in the heart of Coonawarra. They even had a frost on the 3rd of December, a consequence of dry season and lack of soil moisture. The old Merlot vines subsequent ripened their modest crop very early, and they hand-picked on the 29th of February, the earliest  in the vineyards history. 

Fermented on skins for two weeks following a cold soak, the pressed wine was gravity fed to new French oak barrels where it aged for 19 months. A light egg white fining and gentle filtration preceded bottling. 

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Merlot
Country - Australia
Region - Coonawarra
Vintage - 2016
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14%