2016 Mountain B Dry Red

Region

Hunter Valley, NSW

Winemaker

Jim Chatto

Colour

Deep purple.

Aroma

Amazingly intense red and black fruits combine with spice to create a beautiful and complex aroma.

Growing Conditions

The lead up to 2016 was superb, beautiful cool and dry conditions through veraison providing excellent clean and healthy fruit and canopies. The wettest January since 1972 followed, testing winemakers patience, with picking pushed back to see this period out. After this a dry February allowed the land to lose the moisture and grapes ripen and vintage to be back on track. Picking was 1-2 weeks behind average with lower than normal crops and a lot of hand picking to mitigate any risks of disease.

Palate

Powerful fruits come to the fore, with perfect acid and tannin balance providing an exhilarating intensity and length. 

Vinification/Maturation

Fermented at 18-25 ˚C for approximately 7 days. Gently pressed to large format French oak barrels for almost 18 months maturation, before blending and bottling.  

Alcohol/Vol

13.0%

pH

3.53

Acidity

5.9

Food Matches

Peak Drinking

Will drink beautifully 50 years+...

95 points - Campbell Mattinson

2020 Halliday Wine Companion

Slow to its feet but it does get there, and then it's something. Plum, raspberry, roasted nut and licorice strap flavours brood their way through the palate, aided by spice, tempered by tannin. It's lumbering in a good way; it's both deep and fresh, and for now would prefer that you allowed it some sleep.