Thelema The Abbey 2018

The name Thelema comes from a tale written by 16th Century French writer Francois Rabelais, who writes about a beautiful Abbey, Thélème, where there is but one rule – ‘do what thou wilt’. This blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Petit Verdot pays homage to the spirit of the Abbey and to the author who gave us our name.

Maturation

Potential to develop beautifully over the next 8 years.

Food Pairing

Rich hearty stews, roasts and grilled meats.

Winemaker's Comments

This blend of Shiraz, Grenache & Petit Verdot has dark plum and white pepper aromas with an inviting toasted spice on the palate and an elegant acidity.

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Tasting Notes

Viticultural Practices

Varietal	Shiraz - Clone SH1A / Grenache - Clone GN 70N / Petit Verdot - Clone PR 400D
Root stock	101-14 and R99
Soil type	Hutton – decomposed granite
Age of vines	Planted 2003 to 2006
Plant density	3000, 1996 and 2022 vines per hectare respectively
Trellising	Vertical hedge
Pruning	2-bud spurs every 12cm
Yield	8.5 tons/ha (Shiraz), 11 tons/ha (Grenache), 13 tons/ha (PV)
Irrigation	Supplementary drip
Vintage	A warm, dry vintage with a late start, resulted in smaller tonnage but yielding balanced, well structured wines with lovely intensity.
Picking date	26 February 2018 (Shiraz), 05 March 2018 (Grenache), 19 March 2018 (PV)
Grape sugar	25.0°B (Shiraz), 25.1°B (Grenache) 24.2 °B (PV)
Acidity	5.11 g/l (Shiraz), 6.09 (Grenache), 7.29 g/l (PV)
pH at harvest	3.53 (Shiraz), 3.40 (Grencahe), 3.34(PV)

Winemaking Practices

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	18 months in 2nd & 3rd fill 225 L French oak barrels

Wine Details

Residual Sugar	1.8 g/l
pH	3.47
Total acid	5.8 g/l
Alcohol	14.0 %
Blend	Shiraz 60 %, Grenache 30 % & Petit Verdot 10%
Maturation	2020 – 2028

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The Current Range

Thelema Cap Classique 2017

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