The combo of wild yeast, carbonic maceration and then the extended time on skins without SO2 provides a wine with bright fruit but and underlying savoury edge on the nose.
On the palate, the savoury flavours come through, and the extended time on skins contributes to some wild and unusual tannin profiles. According to Behn it's possibly the only good thing to come out of 2020
Viticulture
Mataro from a vineyard in the Gruyere Sub Region of the Yarra Valley (same vineyard we get our Sangiovese from). A cool year, so the natural acidity was quite good. Hence, it took a while to get flavour ripe and the sugars stayed balanced.
Vinification
Whole berry ferment started wild, with a bit of Carbonic Maceration initially, in a VC. When ferment was dry enough, we put the lid on and walked away. 8 months on skins, then drained through the skins for clarification. A little sulphur was added only just before bottling. Didn’t press the remaining wet pomace, as a macedonian mate reckons that type of marc and remaining wine makes THE BEST HOMEMADE GRAPPA.