Thelema Rabelais Bordeaux Blend 2017

$115.00

Product Notes

Rabelais is a blend of the best Bordeaux components from our Thelema range from the 2017 vintage. The wine shows concentrated aromas of dark berries, hints of mocha and cedar wood on the nose. The palate has lovely sweet fruit notes, polished tannins and a long, refined finish.

Maturation

The carefully selected components of this wine lend themselves perfectly to long term cellaring, 10 – 15 years.

Food Pairing

This complex and full-bodied wine complements beef and game dishes.

Winemaker's Comments

During our annual vintage review individual barrels are identified and earmarked for the Rabelais blend. Concentrated aromas of dark berries and cedar wood on the nose are complemented by lovely sweet fruit and polished tannins on the palate. The wine finishes long and firm and will reward cellaring.

Yeasts: Naturally-occurring yeasts

Fermentation temperature: 27 C

Method: De-stalked, hand sorted, crushed, pumped into stainless steel fermentation tanks, cold soak for two days, and pumped over twice a day for 5 days. After fermentation the wine is left on the skins for 2 days before pressing, once pressed wine is racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation.

Oak maturation: 20 months in 100% new 225l French oak barrels

Age of Vines: Planted 2002 and 2003

Plant density: 2000 and 2110 vines per hectare respectively

Yield: 5.8 tons/ha (Cabernet), 9 tons/ha (PV)