Selene Merlot

Year: 2023

Variety: Merlot

Alcohol content: 13.98%

Appellation: Varietal

Classification: Dry

Viticulture and Vinification

Carefully selected handpicked grapes from the oldest and best parcels of Merlot which feature iron oxide rich soils on limestone bedrock were then carefully processed using state of the art equipment to gently destem and crush the grapes. A short cold maceration of two days at 5° C in order to release colour and flavour without harsh tannins was followed by a medium length alcoholic fermentation at 28° C and the grapes were pressed slightly before the end of fermentation. The wine was then clarified using decantation and put through a 100 % malolactic fermentation, before spending 4 months maturing in new French oak barriques of 225 ltr from the Allier and Jupille forests of central France. The wine was then bottled with almost no added SO2 (in fact it is below the limit considered maximum for ‘Natural wines’), and with no filtration to preserve the maximum of flavour and concentration. Harvest dates: 23.09 – 10.10.2017 Average brix 24.5 Grapes destemmed and lightly crushed, pressing at 11 days, natural malolactic. Matured in new French oak barriques from Alliers, 12 months. Unfiltered Age of vines: 18-35 years Training head trained, cane pruned on vertical trellis, vertical shoot positioned. Yield: 6500 kg/ha Soil Fractured limestone with iron oxide richg loams,sandy loams on chalk.

Tasting notes

Intense purple red with violet tinges. The nose is dominated by rich dark fruit flavours of plum, blackberry and blueberry with a light hint of vanilla toast from the short stay in barriques. The pallet is rich and complex, still very young but with great potential to age, this wine is packed with powerful notes of forest fruits, raspberry , blackberry and prunes with good concentration, smooth tannins and a long finish

We recommend this wine with:

Rich meat dishes such as Osso Bucco or Beef Wellington, but also a great companion for a selection of cheeses like Manchego, Gruyere or Mature Cheddar, or indeed the Horezu fermented goat cheese of Romania.

Serving temperature: 15°C – 16°C