2006 Vintage
Il Barone (The Baron) was named after the Pizzini family being
bestowed two Baron Hoods for services to the Crown in Italy in
the 17th & 18th Centuries. Joel and Fred wanted to produce a wine
style displaying the best of the new world wine style, those lovely
fruit characters and the best of the old world wine style, earthy,
barnyard and leather characters.
Wine
The nose is savoury with lovely fruity undertones and nuances of leather, dark chocolate, star anise and dried herbs. As the wine opens up it shows violets, plums, blackberries and loganberries. The palate is savoury and earthy, with lovely chewy, chalky tannins. This wine has good intensity, balance and structure with a lovely tarry finish.
Vinification
To produce this wine we have selected grapes from vineyards that consistently produce lower then average yields and thus wines with maximum flavour, colour, concentration and elegance. Each variety is fermented separately and aged for 18 months in varying makers of French oak and then aged a further two years in bottle prior to release. The Sangiovese ferment was inoculated with yeast BM45. The ferment temperatures reached and were maintained at thirty degrees. Once the wine finished alcoholic fermentation the free run wine was drained and the skins then lightly pressed. The wine was allowed to settle for a day before it was transferred to barrels for malic acid fermentation and barrel aging.
The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested in the heat of the day so fermentation could start immediately. The grapes were crushed, de stemmed and inoculated with yeast. Ferment temperatures were allowed to reach 30°C to help with extraction of colour, flavour and tannins. After fermentation was finished the skins stayed in contact with the wine for 10 days, so as to help soften and round the tannins and improve texture.
Shiraz: after crushing and de-stemming, fermentation starts immediately. The grapes are inoculated with a yeast strain isolated from the Rhone Valley; the yeast specifically enhances the varietal characteristics of Shiraz - cassis, pepper and violets. The grapes are then pressed before fermentation is finished and transferred to barrel to complete alcoholic and malolactic fermentation.
Nebbiolo: after crushing and de-stemming fermentation starts immediately, the juice is inoculated with a yeast strain from Barolo (a region famous for producing Nebbiolo). Fermentation lasts for about four days then the wine is lightly pressed and allowed to finish fermentation in oak barrels where polymerising helps to soften and round the tannins. The wine then goes through malolactic fermentation in barrel aged.
Maturation
Fermentation vessel: Stainless steel and oak
Type of oak used –
Cabernet Sauvignon: Sirgue French
Shiraz: Bosuet French oak blend
Sangiovese: Gamba
Nebbiolo: Gamba.
Oak age: new 65%, 1-2 yr old 35%
Oak toasting: medium
Fining agent: Egg white
Filtration: Earth filtration
Technical Information
Picked: April
Yield: 50hl/ha
Area harvested: 2ha
Average Brix: 25
Varietal percentage: 57% Cabernet, 18.5% Shiraz,
13.5%Sangiovese, 11% Nebbiolo
Final Analysis
Acid: 6.55
pH: 3.60
Alcohol: 13.8% Alc/Vol
Bottled: October 2006
Release date: August 2010
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