2008 Vintage
Region: McLaren Vale (South Australia)
Grape Varieties: 40% Grenache, 40% Monastrell, 20% Shiraz.
Cascabel Winery
Owner, winemakers, Duncan Ferguson and Susana Fernandez are highly committed to “in house production”, using traditional European techniques.
The winery is located on a gentle slope at the southern end of McLaren Vale, with production primarily focused on Spanish grape varieties. Grenache, Monastrell and Shiraz have all been grown in the McLaren Vale for more than a century, and are varieties of which the owners had previous experience of wine production in France and Spain.
Our vineyard, Viña Cascabel, is only 3 km from the sea, at the Southern end of McLaren Vale, in South Australia. Strong winds from the hills behind us appear almost every afternoon during Spring and Summer; they minimize diseases and cool us at night.
The vineyard is dry grown, with a very well drained stony loam soil. The reddish gravely clay has plenty of medium size stones all through it. The trellis system is low (with the traditional single wire) and the vines are spur pruned (by hand), to allow good airflow thus reducing the need for spraying (only powder sulphur is needed, sporadically, for the prevention of Powdery Mildew). The vineyard is well established and in balance, cropping between 1.2 to 4.5 tonnes per hectare.
Cascabel Estate uses a small batch winemaking process, where all vineyard blocks are kept separate in the winery. This increases blending options, thereby helping to maintain wine quality. The results are wines which reflect the personalities of the grape, the soil and also that of the owners.
Wine Making
The grapes are all from our vineyard and were all hand picked; Monastrell (known in Australia as Mataro and Mourvèdre in France) at 14.3º Bè, and Grenache at 14.2º Bè in early April 2008, while Shiraz was harvested in early March at 14.0º Bè.
The varieties were fermented separately, in 1.5 ton stainless steel and 3 ton concrete open fermenters, with some whole bunches and regular hand plunging.
Ferments were to reach reasonably high temperatures, up to 30º C.
Maceration occurred, on skins, for 3 to 4 weeks after fermentation, in order to gain better palate structure, even if this may sacrifice, some fruitiness and colour.
The wines were pressed straight into a tank and then transferred to barrel where malolactic fermentation occurred spontaneously.
After 15 months the wines were removed from barrel, blended and allowed to settle in tank naturally.
The final blend was bottled in October 2009 using gravity filling to screw cap closures, labelled and packaged by us, using all our own equipment. By our participation in every phase of the process, from grape to final bottle, we maintain full control over the individuality and quality of every bottle of wine.
Tasting notes
This wine is a classic blend of the three most traditional varieties grown in McLaren Vale for more than a century. Our previous experiences in France and Spain encouraged us to plant these varieties with the intention of making a wine that captures all those traditions while giving it a modern edge.
Colour: dark ruby.
Nose: youthful and balanced fruit.
Palate: Elegant combination of black cherry and subtle oak encapsulates this smooth, medium bodied, yet full flavoured wine.
Serving Suggestions: Eggs in Aspic, Lobster with Prawns and Truffles, Tripe Madrid Style.
Technical Information
Alcohol: 14,5 %
Yield (tonnes per hectare): Monastrell 2.2 t, Grenache 1.5 t, Shiraz 1.5 t
Cases produced: 75 dozen.
Appellation: McLaren Vale (South Australia).
Filtration and fining: None.
Varietal composition: 40% Monastrell, 30% Grenache, 30% Shiraz.
Wood treatment: 2 and 3 year old French oak Puncheons (500 L).
Length of barrel maturation: 15 months.
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