![]() Single vineyard, Barossa Valley, South Australia The alcohol, although it doesn't matter, does make this more approachable. This shows the place and has notes of beetroot, black pudding, black peppercorns, clove, lamb fat and peppercorns. What we want, and need, is for the dirt to shine through the wine. The barrels selected for the Dimchurch bottling really have to say something about the vineyard and the decision-making that Adrian went through to isolate that sector and decide about harvesting. Interestingly, the alcohol is not a consideration or concern for Chris he's going for vineyard characteristic, and the alcohol is just something that rolls out via the winemaking process. TASTING NOTE : This 2014 Dimchurch Shiraz is decidedly lower in alcohol than the other wines on the table, clocking in at a very modest (for Chris) 15.5%. This matured in used 500-liter French oak barrels (the last year they bought barrels was 2013). This comes from four different soils and was co-fermented with some 10% Malbec from the same property, as they feel like that amount of Malbec gives it some lubrication/juiciness. It has 14% alcohol and good freshness, acidity and balance. It keeps the herbal, spicy and peppery varietal character and the fine-grained tannins from the property and the chalkiness from the soils. TASTING NOTE : The one single-vineyard wine that is very different from the others is the 2019 Finca Los Membrillos, as it comes from a vineyard planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in Altamira two kilometers from the Piedra Infinita property planted 25 years ago. Here, the challenge is to avoid over-ripeness, and they have managed nicely. There's a different tactile sensation from Altamira, and this is firmer, with more severe tannins. Like the rest of their bottlings, they only use concrete and indigenous yeasts for the fermentation and aging of the wine, but here they use less full clusters, perhaps between 30% to 50%. They have 25 to 30 plots on the property, different soils and exposures, different ways of pruning, too they deconstruct the property, vinifying everything separately, and then they build the wine through blending, like they do for all the Finca wines. It seems to me like there's more consistency in Gualtallary than in Altamira. It has 14.5% alcohol and is ripe and juicy, with very good acidity and freshness. TASTING NOTE : A new red in the 'Fincas' single-vineyard range, the 2019 Finca Las Cerrilladas was produced with grapes from Gualtallary and is an intense and aromatic red with the wild profile from Gualtallary. ![]() It has great balance and a silky mouthfeel, with refined, elegant tannins and a long, dry finish with a chalky and salty sensation and no room for sweetness it's more about herbs, flowers and rocks than anything else. It also reminds me of the fabulous 2013 that I rated 100 points in 2018, and there has not been such a perfect vintage since then. It develops very slowly in the glass and shows layers and layers of aromas but all in a very subtle way. TASTING NOTE : The incredibly subtle, elegant and austere 2019 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard reminds me of a great vintage of Lafleur, my favorite Bordeaux, as this is one of the finest vintages for this single-vineyard blend of Cabernet Franc with some 15% Malbec. Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2019
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