As I write, eyes slightly scratchy from an early morning rise, 80 cases of our 2010 Saignee are quietly sighing with relief in their new home, glad to finally be allowed a respite from all the chaos - freezing temperatures (cold stability) and sterile filtration - over the past few weeks. Mum, Uncle Ray, Auntie Lee and myself were our bottling crew, with Lamonts winemaker, Digby Leddin, cheerily fielding questions and keeping an eye on the running of the line. Needless to say, it was a smooth operation and a huge thanks to Digby and the Lamonts crew for letting me finish and bottle the wine at their winery.
The Saignee this year is slightly lighter in colour than last year, due mainly to the higher proportion of barrel ferment and less time on skins. Mum is particularly sensitive to bitterness in wine so we try not to leave the wine on skins for any longer than 12 hours. This means the colour is never as strong as some of the more mainstream roses, but we find less time on skins gives the wine a pleasing slippery texture with less of those often bitter red tannins.
I love fermenting wine naturally in barrels - the wines pick up a mealy texture and flavour with a more even and balanced palate. However, I also want to retain those crunchy, vibrant cassis fruit flavours and aromas, so a certain percentage of our Saignee (this year, approximately 55%) will always be tank fermented.
The 2010 Saignee will stay resting for a few months with release planned in early Spring - unless like last year, we give in to pressure and let the pink fans crack it open a few weeks early!
