Lucca 2021
R480,00
The 2021 vintage Lucca is a blend led by 58% Merlot clone MO343 and 42% Cabernet Franc. Spicy and floral of wild rosemary and Fynbos, this wine is a true sensory reflection of vines growing surrounded by the magnificent Cape Floral Kingdom.
14.54
ALC
5.40
TA
3.62
pH
0.82
VA
1.8
RS
Words from our winemaker, Megan:
The Vintage
The 2021 season started with a cold, wet, winter that filled up soil reserves and provided sufficient cold units to break dormancy. The late cooler conditions continued well into spring, delaying bud break and initial growth. October saw the moderate temperatures and sufficiently filled soil profiles leading to rapid vineyard growth and therefore the need to closely manage fungal diseases and weeds. November brought serious wind, leading to diminished flowering and fruit set, especially higher up on our steep slopes.
After February, the summer growing conditions were cool and moderate with nerve wracking amounts of morning mist and high levels of humidity forcing us to sample as often as possible, practice patience, completely reverse block orders and picking in smaller batches than before, yet eventually getting the grapes into the cellar at the optimum ripeness, HEALTHY. I found that the berries were physiologically ripe at much lower sugar levels, meaning that even though sugar ripening was delayed, we could still pick for great flavor concentration on brilliant acid levels, and pull off lower alcohol wines while doing so! This vintage shows superlative ageing potential.
The Wine
The 2021 vintage Lucca is a blend led by 58% Merlot clone MO343 and 42% Cabernet Franc. The grapes were hand sorted down to berry level en route to tank. Both batches spent six days cold soaking before they were allowed to warm up into natural fermentations. After another 18 days on the skins, the wine was gravity drained and the skins basket-pressed to 80% new french oak 225L barriques, where we inoculated for malolactic fermentation. We then allowed the wine to further evolve for 18 months before a light filtration and the eventual bottling.
Spicy and floral of wild rosemary and Fynbos, this wine is a true sensory reflection of vines growing surrounded by the magnificent Cape Floral Kingdom. It has lovely cool climate elegance and minerality. Our 2021 vintage at first seems to exist on the more herbaceous spectrum of the Cape’s attempt at taming Bordeaux varieties, but finds beautiful balance between complexity and restraint when a single swirl let’s go of the green herbs and brings to the forefront cassis and redcurrant. True to its site, the succulent red fruit concentration is enriched by sculpted tannins and a fantastic salinity that brings about freshness and a well refined texture. The finish at this young age still being tart, thanks to its timeless terroir in the cool-climate Constantia.
