Madeleine Angevine harvest 26 Sep 2016

Our Seguin Moreau oak/acacia Fraîcheur barrique was filled with Madeleine Angevine 2016,  at bottling time in Mar 2017, the barrel's second wine.

The wine was matured in the barrique for 9 months, bottled in April 2018 and immediately sent off for analysis and quality assessment.

It achieved PDO status - the highest quality assessment for English wine

Grape variety:  Madeleine Angevine (100%)

Quality status:  English Wine PDO - Protected Designation of Origin (Certificate ref: STPDO 20355)

Grape source:   Oatley Vineyard, Cannington, Somerset. Vineyard parcels: Madeleine upper block, Madeleine lower block, planted 1987, trained on 90 cm-high originally spur-pruned cordons,  converted to double guyot in 2015.

Awards:  

Gold Medal: Independent English Wine Awards 2019.

Gold Medal and South West Vineyards Association Challenge Cup 2018

Growing Season:

Buds were early after a warm winter but a spell of frosty nights in Apr slowed things up to a week behind normal. We had a few frosted shoots in the lower Madeleine block but only a slight loss of yield overall. Early summer was showery but a hot spell in July finished off the fruit-set nicely.  Ripening continued a little late but then a wonderful dry, warm autumn ripened the fruit fast and well and the Madeleine Angevine grapes were harvested in the last week of September, as normal. Quality was fantastic – no disease, a few bunches damaged by wasps but no general wasp attack. A very few bird losses at very top by the hedge.

Viticulture

Grown on sustainable principles, no herbicides or insecticides, only our own farmyard manure, hay mulch and chipped hedge-trimming fertiliser, highly biodiverse environment, hand tended and picked, with minimal soil compaction.

Harvest:

25th September 2016 in dry, sunny, warm weather.

Vinification:  Winemaker: Steve Brooksbank, Bagborough Lane, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6SX.

Madeleine crushing/pressing 26 Sept 2016. Free-run juice: sugar 73 Oechsle, acid 8.5 g/l. Chaptalised to 11.5% vol. Minimum intervention winemaking.

Barrique maturation Mar 2017 - Oct 2017.  Bottled 28 Apr 2018: clear, 400g 75cl Bordeaux bottles sealed with best quality cork. Label FSC certified Tintoretto paper. 290 bottles made.

Release Date:  14 Oct 2018

Analysis

Alcohol 11.59%

Total acidity 6.6 g/l

pH 3.22

Sugar < 1.0 g/l

Total dry extract 18.0 g/l

Free sulphur dioxide 29 mg/l

Total sulphur dioxide 83 mg/l

Copper  <0.10 mg/l

Iron 0.66 mg/l

Yeasts, bacteria, moulds: nil

Protein stability: stable

Chill stability: stable

Independent post-bottling analysis by Campden BRI Ltd, Coopers Hill Rd, Nutfield, Surrey RH1 4HY, conducted 24 May 2018