D Arenberg D Arrys Original

Description

”This wine is as old as the famous red stripe which adorns it. Always a blend of Shiraz and Grenache it was known as dArenberg Burgundy until the 1990s.The Name This wine is named in honour of dArenberg principal, Francis dArenberg Osborn, who is universally known as dArry. A lifetime in wine has seen dArry recognised as a Winemakers Federation of Australia Patron and a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the wine industry.The Vintage Good winter rains ensured adequate sub-soil moisture and set vines up well with healthy canopies. There was un-seasonably hot weather during flowering, but this did not affect fruit setting to any significant extent and vigour was beautifully balanced.There was some more heat early in the season, but with berries only just forming in most cases it was not an issue. The rest of the season was mild with nights mild to cool with very little rain. It was another early start to vintage, and both red and whites from 2010 have strong varietal characters and good balance.The Winemaking Walking the vineyard rows and tasting grapes, Chester Osborn classifies and determines the ideal picking time for each individual vineyard.Small batches are crushed in the Demoisy open-mouthed, rubber toothed crusher and then transferred to five tonne headed-down open fermenters. These batches remain separate until final blending.Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation. When tannin extraction is just right the wine is basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and old French and old American oak barriques as well as large casks to complete primary and secondary fermentation. The barrel fermented component is aged on lees to keep the wine fresh while also reducing the oak influence. There is no racking until final blending.Chester and the winemaking team undertake an extensive barrel tasting process to determine the final blend. dArrys Original does not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.The Characteristics The 2010 dArrys Original exhibits all the hallmarks of this traditional dArenberg blend of shiraz and grenache. Immediately on the nose we are struck by a complex array of dark, sweet and savoury notes. Plums, liquorice, nutmeg and a subtle hint of cedar.The palate is typical of the vintage, concentrated and round, with reasonably velvety tannins, although still a touch of those beautiful, fine, gritty tannins so typical of dArenberg grenache.The flavour profile develops in glass, initially appearing quite tight, then gently opening up with luscious mulberry and plum, laced with exotic soil like notes and cured meats. Simply put, this wine is exceptional value and gives as much pleasure in youth as it will with six to 10 years age behind it.Oak MaturationTwo thirds 12-21 months in Older French and American Bariques. One third large oak casks.”- d’Arenberg