2020 - Chateau da Swan - Grenache

Qvevri fermented and aged grenache

Swan Valley

Zero additions

This wine is called Chateau DA Swan as we obviously rep’ the 6056
hard. For those playing at home 6056 is the post code enveloping the
Swan Valley and the larger area, including Midland, which is well
known for being a sanctuary for hoodlums and weirdos of an entirely
different ilk.
Don’t let the ‘da’ fool you though. This is some seriously elevated
Swan Valley Grenache and is the flagship of our release.
The fruit comes our amazing grenache on Gino’s Block and was
picked at the most ideal time to yield fruit high in natural acidity
without any of the green-ness that comes from picking a little too
early. We picked it on the 22nd of January and managed to strike a
balance between high acid and some delicious cherry notes.
The Chateau da Swan is a 1000L Georgian Qvevri (think massive
terracotta amphora) fermented and aged Grenache. The shape of the
qvevri means that there is always some convection and circulation
occurring in the wine during fermentation and ageing which gives a
very round and generous profile.
This wine blew our minds when we sampled it out of the Qvevri close
to bottling and has only continued to improve since. We did not feel
the need to add any sulphur to this wine as it seemed very stable,
with high acid and tannins to maintain it into bottle ageing.
This wine is bold yet ethereal, has intense energy and incredible
drive. Some really profound fruit character is evident on the palate
with some deliciously ripe acid and serious tannin structure. We like
to think its something very different for the region and displays
Grenache from the Golden Mile in a completely different light.