Vintage 2012: It is a massive truism, but really, every vintage is different. Vintage 2012 was condensed into about 8 weeks from go to whoa which meant we had finished crushing all grapes by the end of March. Generally this feat would only be accomplished by the middle to end of April. Yields across all varieties were considerably down on average (from 15-40% in some varieties), but quality is looking very promising for both reds and whites. We had cool conditions up until the end of February then some rain, which did not affect things too much (see vintage 2011)as the whites were already picked and safely in the winery, and reds were unaffected. Joch’s prediction, with further checks on wine in barrel and subsequent contemplation is that 2012 will be a great red wine year.

Winemaking: The game plan with Puritan is to make a young and vibrant early drinking red wine. Our template for Puritan is the 'vino Joven' style Spanish wines (made usually with Tempranillo) which are unoaked and drunk in their infancy. Standard winemaking operating procedures were followed when making Puritan at the start; we pick and ferment the grapes, then allow the wine to go through its secondary (malolactic) fermentation. Then we divert from normal SOP’s, as we bottle the Puritan immediately, without the addition of any sulphur dioxide (preservative), or putting the wine into oak barrels. ‘Puritan’ Shiraz more often than not makes it into bottle before our aromatic whites.

Technical Details:
Vineyards: Denton's, Edgehill and Chanticleer
Picking Date: 25th, 27th and 29th of February 2012
pH Level: 3.68
Alc/Vol: 14.0
Bottling Date: 4th June 2012