Tasting notes: Opaque purple-colored. Aromas of ripe red fruits (blackberry and blueberry), slate and spicy notes with a balsamic background from barrel aging. In the mouth, the wine is rich with good structure and notes of vanilla, spices and fruit. The finish is long and very crisp thanks to the natural minerality.
Style: The philosophy and goal is to craft a wine that is both age-worthy and fresh. To this end Fince Tobella take great pains to not harvest grapes at an overripe stage, to control fermentations somewhat, and to limit barrel-age time to about one year (with the majority of wood Allier or tight grained to limit extraction). Additionally they like to use a high percentage of Carignan in the final blend which, due to it’s natural high acidity, lends both crispness and freshness to the wine as well as long life.
Varieties: 44% Carignan, 37% Red Grenache, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Food pairing: Excellent with roasted meats. Ideal to match with pasta and rice dishes.
Harvest: The quality of 2008 harvest was very good. We had a cold and rainy year, specially in spring which allowed to have a good growing season and later in summer to help the vines to reach the optimum maturity. The temperatures were cooler than other years, we had moderate temperatures in spring and also in summer. Altogether, resulted in a late harvest, the grapes were picked at the optimum sugar and acid equilibrium and aroma intensity. The wines have good color and round tannins with an intense varietal aroma.
Vinification: Fermented in stainless steel open fermentors at 20-24º C over a period of 7-10 days with additional skin maceration of 3-5 days depending on the varietal and the conditions.
Oak: Malolactic fermentation and aging is done in 300L, new French oak (both allier and nevers). Total wood contact time for this wine was about 14 months. The Red Grenache is only aged in used wood (usually 3-4 year old barrels) to preserve it’s delicate aromas. The wine is allowed to age and evolve in the bottle a minimum of 12 months before being released.
Conservation: Properly cellared, this wine will continue to improve over the next 5-8 years.
Wine service: We strongly advise decanting the wine at least 30 minutes before serving. Suggested wine temperature: 15-17 ºC.
