Nose
Expressive, combining strong aromas of black fruit, especially berries, with subtle nutty notes that evoke cashews. The French Oak asserts itself through a caramel presence.
Palate
Powerful tannins tenderly envelop the palate. Long and silky finish that leaves behind a memory of cinnamon smoke and raspberry marmalade. Very elegant and vibrant finish.
Growing Conditions
A long winter with temperatures lower than in 2008 precipitated a return to budding during normal dates.
Spring was short, with moderate temperatures interrupted by October frosts that created uneven ripening in some clusters. There were no episodes of the Zonda wind in Luján de Cuyo.
A mild summer followed, dry with isolated showers, and neither complicated veraison nor further ripening.
As March came to a close and autumn began, some rain fell but did not affect Eolo's refuge. In April --the last month of the growing cycle-- dry climate created some tempered berry dehydration but did not affect polyphenolic maturity.
Harvest was completed in four stages. It was the lengthiest harvest to date, due to meticulous monitoring of ripeness across different lots.
Vineyard Labours:
- Pruning, between second and third week of July, 2009.
- Shoot removal, during the second week of October, 2009.
- Restricted irrigation, following fruit set at the third week of October, 2009.
- Cluster thinning, at the second week of January, 2010.
Harvest
Yield: 3,100 kg per hectare.
Bottling
Filtration: gentle filtration using 5 µm polypropylene plaques
Bottling date: January 24th, 2012
Bottle aged: 12 months
Winemaking
Hand selection of clusters, destemming and further berry sorting by hand. Gentle roll crushing.
Pre-fermentation maceration for 96 hrs. at 4 – 5 °C.
Alcoholic fermentation in small stainless steel tanks for 12 -16 days at 25-26 °C.
Selected yeasts: Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (Bayanus).
Post-fermentation maceration: 7-10 days. Racked directly to barrels. Malolactic fermentation: 100% natural.
Aging
18 months in medium plus toast French oak barrels (70% new and 30% 1 use); three rackings employing inert gases to avoid pump use.
Appearance
Violet tinges reflect upon a deep crimson red. Movement in the glass is dense and elegant.
