De Bortoli Melba Lucia Cabernet 2006
"Glass-staining purple. Exotic, floral-dominated bouquet evokes red- and blackcurrant, fresh rose, pipe tobacco and sexy oak spices. Sweet red and dark berry flavors are braced by dusty tannins and given spine by juicy acidity. A suave mineral quality adds focus and punch to the long, sweet finish." 92 points Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar - Issue 140, October 2008
The Melba range honours renowned opera diva Dame Nellie Melba, who for many years resided in the Yarra Valley. These wines are our interpretation of Cabernet blends made in Claret styles. Melba ‘Lucia’ is named for the opera Lucia Di Lammermoor performed by Dame Nellie Melba. A blend of Cabernet with a splash of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese, the wine has a savoury palate, fine integrated tannins and a lick of rusticity.
Region
Yarra Valley
Appearance
Bright red colour with slight purple
Bouquet
Fragrant complex brambly fruits with dark chocolate aromas
Palate
Savoury palate with fine integrated tannins & a lick of rusticity
Vintage Conditions
Dry and warm growing season that gave early development of fruit flavours.
Winemaking
The Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot components were planted in 1990 and the Sangiovese planted in 2003. Vines are cane pruned to 25 bunches per vine and shoot thinned at the 10-15cm stage so that there are no more than18 bunches per vine. Being young vines, the Sangiovese had 6 bunches per vine. The vines are hand picked into 8kg buckets and transported to the winery. Yarra Valley soils are quite old and weathered and often lack the natural tannin that typical clarets have in spades. Sangiovese is included in the blend to give some natural tannin, extract and savouriness. Fruit is destemmed, crushed and tipped into closed 14 tonne fermenters.
The fruit undergoes natural fermentation, and once fermenting, is kept at a minimum of 25ºC, and is left on skins for ~ 40 days. The wine is then pressed, settled overnight and gravity filled to new and used casks where it matures at 16ºC for 14 months. The wine is then racked by gravity and the final blending completed.
Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol : 14.0% pH : 3.42 TA : 6.7 g/L
Cellaring
5 -15 years in good cellaring conditions.
These ‘claret styles’ age very well over time.
Suggested Cuisine
Try with grilled meats, slow cooked rabbit or pasta with fungi.
General Characteristics
Dry Medium Bodied
