OATLEY VINEYARD Wine Information Sheet:                                  Elizabeth’s 2015

 

Oatley Elizabeth’s 2015


Grape varieties:  Madeleine Angevine (62%), Kernling (38%)

Quality status:  English Wine PDO - Protected Designation of Origin (Certificate ref: STPDO 11132)

Grape source:   Oatley Vineyard, Cannington, Somerset. Vineyard parcels: Madeleine upper block, Madeleine lower block. Trained on 90 cm-high originally spur-pruned cordons, converted to double guyot 2015. Kernling upper block, double guyot on 90cm conventional trellis, Kernling lower block double guyot on 140cm single wires, hanging canes.

Awards: 

Silver Medal: UKVA Wine of the Year Competition 2015. Citation: “Very pale green, clean, herby, good balance, long finish, warm ginger spice on nose, gingerbread/grapefruit on palate. Attractive.”

Growing Season: An unusually cool year with some frost losses in the Madeleine. A dry spring after a mild winter brought an early budburst on 19th April, but anticyclonic weather in the last week of April brought night frosts that were worst in low lying areas in the west of England. It was minus 2.8C at Oatley on 27th and we had a further frost when the shoots were well out on 13th May. We lost about a third of the buds in the lowest lying corner of the Madeleine Angevine - perhaps 10% of the Madeleine potential crop. The cool, dry weather continued and flowering was lateish at the end of June. A brief heatwave in the last week of June with temperatures in the 30s set the early flowers quickly but cooler weather set in before the fruit set was complete, leading to more-than-usual variation in ripeness in both varieties, with the lowest part of the slope 10 days behind the top. The summer continued unusually cool and veraison was around 10 days late. The Madeleine was harvested on 4th October 2 weeks later than 2014, and the Kernling, which fortunately was carrying a small crop or it might not have ripened at all,  on 25th of October, with good sugars but the skins still quite pale (see photo, lower right above of the grapes in thee hopper at the winery) and acidity rather high. Our neighbouring shoot had not put out young pheasants this year so bird losses were minimal.

Harvest: Madeleine: 4th October 2015 in dry but cool, misty weather. Grapes pictured top right arriving at the winery, Jane’s blogpost about the harvest day here >>. Kernling harvested 25th October on a golden, sunny day, pictured above. Temperature about 15C at max. Grapes, clean, good condition, no wasp, little bird damage, no disease, rerspectable sugars but high acid and pale pink, hadn’t reached the usual dark pink-red.

Vinification:  Winemaker: Steve Brooksbank, Bagborough Lane, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6SX. Madeleine crushing/pressing 5 Oct. Free-run juice: sugar 66 Oechsle, acid 7.5 g/l acid, Kernling crushing/pressing 26th Oct, free run juice 75 Oe, acid 15 g/i. Wines vinified separately in stainless steel tanks. Blended. Bottled 30 Mar 2015: clear, 400g 75cl Bordeaux bottles sealed with best quality cork. Label FSC certified Tintoretto paper. 2677 bottles made.

Release Date:  24th May 2014  


Elizabeth’s 2014 Shop page >>

Go to Wines/Shop >>


      

Analysis


  1. •Alcohol 11.41%

  2. •Total acidity 6.2 g/l

  3. •pH 3.22

  4. •Sugar < 1.0 g/l

  5. •Total dry extract 17.7 g/l

  6. •Free sulphur dioxide 26 mg/l

  7. •Total sulphur dioxide 82 mg/l

  8. •Copper < 0.10 mg/l

  9. •Iron 0.3 mg/l

  10. •Yeasts, bacteria, moulds: nil

  11. •protein stability: stable

  12. •chill stability: stable


Independent post-bottling analysis by Campden BRILtd, Coopers Hill Rd, Nutfield, Surrey RH1 4HY, conducted 24th Apr  2015