Goats do Roam Red 2008 ‘Classic Label’

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One afternoon, at harvest time, my mischievous son Jason and his friend Justin let the goats out of their tower and sent them for a walkabout amongst the vines. As in the legend of the Yemeni goat herder – whose roaming flock first discovered the joys of coffee beans, our goats picked out the best and tastiest fruit – their choice serves as our inspiration for this wine. Charles Back

VINEYARDS AND WINEMAKING

The grapes were harvested in February 2008.
Shiraz was harvested from trellised vineyards in Paarl, grown on decomposed granite soils. Cinsaut was sourced from two older bush vine sites in Paarl and Agter-Paarl. Mourvèdre is primarily from dryland bush vines in the Swartland, on koffieklip soils. Grenache and Carignan were also from Swartland vineyards. All grapes were harvested fully ripe at between 24 and 26 degrees balling.

Grapes were destalked but not crushed and fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks using Rhône yeasts. After primary fermentation the wines were racked off and sent back to tanks for malolactic fermentation. This lasted two to three months. The wine is then lightly sulphured and sent to older barrels for approximately ten months. No new wood is used.

VARIETIES

Shiraz 61%
Cinsaut 14%
Mourvèdre 13%
Grenache 8%
Carignan 4%

TASTING NOTE

Vibrant ruby red colour. Cedar, anise and fleshy fruit on the nose. Medium bodied palate, but good length and structure carrying to a long finish. Blackberry fruit and supple tannins.

WINE ANALYSIS

Wine of Origin: Coastal

Alcohol 14%
Residual sugar 3.3 g/l
Total acid 5.7 g/l
pH 3.52

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