Thelema Rabelais 2014
Rabelais is a blend of the best Bordeaux components from our Thelema range from the 2014 vintage. The wine shows concentrated aromas of dark berries, hints of mocha and cedar wood on the nose. The palate has lovely sweet fruit notes, polished tannins and a long, refined finish.
Maturation
The carefully selected components of this wine lend themselves perfectly to long term cellaring, 10 – 15 years.
Food Pairing
This complex and full-bodied wine complements beef and game dishes.
Tasting Notes
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon - CS 338C / Petit Verdot - Clone PV 219A |
|---|---|
| Root stock | 101-14 and R99 |
| Soil type | Hutton – decomposed granite |
| Age of vines | Planted 2002/2003 & 1988 |
| Plant density | 2000 and 2110 vines per hectare respectively |
| Trellising | Vertical hedge |
| Pruning | 2-bud spurs every 12cm |
| Yield | 6-7 tons/ha (Cabernet), 6 tons/ha (PV), |
| Irrigation | Supplementary drip |
| Vintage | Cool start to season delaying harvest by a week or so leading to an exceptional vintage with red wines of great purity, elegance and concentration. |
| Picking date | 13th March (Cabernet Sauvignon), 20th March (PV) |
| Grape sugar | 25.5 °B (Cabernet), 25.0 °B (PV) |
| Acidity | 5.16 g/l (Cabernet), 7.0 g/l (PV) |
| pH at harvest | 3.50 (Cabernet), 3.40 (PV) |
| Yeasts | Natural occurring yeasts |
|---|---|
| Fermentation temp | 27 °C |
| Method | De-stalked, hand sorted, crushed, pumped into stainless steel fermentation tanks, cold soak for two days, and pumped over twice a day for 5 days. After fermentation the wine is left on the skins for 2 days before pressing, once pressed wine is racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation. |
| Wood Maturation | 20 months in 100% new 225 L French oak barrels |
| Residual Sugar | 1.8 g/l |
|---|---|
| pH | 3.71 |
| Total acid | 5.2 g/l |
| Alcohol | 14.5 % |
| Blend | Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot |
| Maturation | 2017 – 2032 |
During our annual vintage review individual barrels are identified and earmarked for the Rabelais blend. Concentrated aromas of dark berries and cedar wood on the nose are complemented by lovely sweet fruit and polished tannins on the palate. The wine finishes long and firm and will reward cellaring.