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Available by the dozen
Chester Osborn was one of the first growers to plant Tempranillo in McLaren Vale. This torrid Spanish grape is well suited to the Mediterranean climes of the region and a traditional blending partner for some of d'Arenberg's favourite old world styles. Grenache and Tempranillo work beautifully together, the Portuguese mix of Tinta Cao and Souzao provide wonderful complexity and depth. And the quirky name? Sticks and stones may break bones but will never hurt, in truth, much of the fruit is picked off sticks planted to parched, stony soils. Bunches of Tempranillo and Grenache, Souzao and Tinta Cao Souzao are picked to a staggered schedule as the varieties come into their own ripening. Fruit is gently treated to d'Arenberg's rubber toothed crusher, vinified batch by batch in traditional headed down open fermenters. When tannin extraction is just right, batches are basket pressed and transferred to a mix of seasoned and new French and American oak barriques for completion of ferments and malolactic on sedimentery yeast lees. Components are aged for a year before asemblage, minimal handling ensures maximum flavour while reducing the oak influence, unfined and unfiltered, a harmless deposit may adhere to the bottle.
TASTING NOTESDeep, brilliant red. An enticing mix of red, black and purple fruits, wild strawberries and dark cherry, grilled meats and straw notes. Sour plum and red berry flavours, quickly leading to game, five spice and dried herb, Tempranillo provides tomato leaf and baked red fruits, linear shape and length. Grenache lends juicy blueberry and plum with just a hint of clove, succulence and fine, gritty tannins. |
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The heart of McLaren Vale, past and present, d’Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in Australia
In 1912 Joseph Osborn, a teetotaller and director of Thomas Hardy and Sons, purchased the well established Milton Vineyards of 25 hectares in the hills just north of the townships of Gloucester and Bellevue, now known as McLaren Vale. Joseph’s son Francis Ernest (‘Frank’) Osborn left medical school, choosing to forsake the scalpel for pruning shears. He soon increased the size of the vineyard to 78 hectares. Fruit was sold to local wineries until the construction of his own cellars was completed in 1928. Dry red table and fortified wines were produced in ever increasing quantities to supply the expanding markets of Europe. dArenberg»
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