2022 Little Reddie "Is Sex" Refreosco dal Peduncolo Rosso - Colbinabbin-Heathcote-VIC.
Notes from Pat!
Chalmers Vineyard, Colbinabbin, Heathcote G.I
Blood to brick red in the glass,
Rich, earthy aromatics, with game, reduced tomatoes and thyme.
A dusty, dense glass; Reduced plums, beef stock, hickory. Very complex and savoury flavours meet salty and sappy grip from the skins and seeds. The tannins are voluminous and medium find. A very slow moving and long tasting experience, would be very at home with rich braise. Comforting and intriguing at once.
Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso - or the good Refosco as I like to call it. A Friulian native.
An idiosyncratic year - this is an example of the lighter, fresher moments the vintage presented when picking and winemaking followed suit.
Vineyard
Just three rows at Chalmers in the south east corner of the property on the ultra red Colbo soils. These blocks are planted east/west orientation which helps moderate the impact of the midday sun. Planted in 2015.
Winemaking
Difficult picking time with rain during ripening, we have a slightly lighter, easier style than previous years with much finer tannin than is typical and a slightly lower alc.
Picked 16th of March, entirely destemmed and fermented in Stainless. Pressed after 24 days - slightly extended on previous years. Kept in stainless with for some weeks post press, intiatlly to finish any sugar, then racked clean and aged with controlled oxygen before being racked to a single 1000l sandstone jar.
Racked and retuned again late summer to keep freshness and avoid excessive reduction.
Only 40 cases bottled.
