2016 Wisteria Tree Cabernet Franc Icewine

$98.95

2016 Wisteria Tree Cabernet Franc Icewine is named for the amazing wisteria vine planted by Sue-Ann's grandmother that graces Sue-Ann's front garden.

About the wine:

In 2016, Sue-Ann took a gamble and decided to make a Cabernet Franc Icewine.

2016 was a hot and dry vintage up here on top of the escarpment, absolutely ideal for red wine production. Our beloved Cabernet Franc vines produced perfect fruit, with beautiful ripeness and acidity. Sue-Ann had long wanted to make a Cabernet Franc Icewine and decided this was the year.

Letting such perfect fruit hang on the vine into winter was a risk. However, every sip of this award-winning Cabernet Franc Icewine tells you it was well worth it!

Vinification:

We harvested on a cold January night. Sue-Ann called in a crew to hand-pick the Cabernet Franc. She pressed the fruit immediately, yielding only a small amount of juice. Sue-Ann fermented the juice with specially selected yeasts, then aged the wine for 8 months on lees* in a recoopered French oak barrel.

Such a small amount of juice resulted in small production totals: 62 cases. The Wisteria Tree Cabernet Franc Icewine is a truly limited-edition wine!

Tasting notes:

On the nose, expect opulent strawberry and cedar notes with confectionery tones, and a hint of wild raspberry. Suggestions of cedar and vanilla on the palate are a sensory reference to the time this wine spent in barrel. Altogether, this is an extraordinarily berry-rich, well-structured, luscious, and unique Icewine.

Harvest Date January 8, 2017
Blend 100% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol 9.5%
Residual Sugar 203.2 g/L
Titratable Acidity 10.2 g/L
pH 3.58
Cases Produced 62 cases

Awards

SILVER, 2018 INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION

BRONZE, 2018 INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE

*What are "lees" in wine?

"Simply put, lees are dead yeast cells left over from the fermentation process.

Once grapes are pressed, yeast is added to the juice to kick-start fermentation. Those yeast cells help convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Once they’ve done their job and the yeast has consumed all the sugar, the spent yeast cells die off and drop to the bottom of the fermentation vessel, along with the material from the grapes’ skins and other solid remnants of the fermentation process.

That wet, dense pile of residual mass is called the gross lees. It’s a mix of dead yeast, grape skins, seeds, stems and tartrates produced in the first few hours of fermentation.

Another type of lees, known as fine lees, are mostly made of dead yeast cells that gradually settle on the bottom of a fermentation vessel. They have a silkier consistency than gross lees, and are both a byproduct of winemaking and an ingredient in its aging process.

While gross lees—which can be relatively volatile—are often racked off and discarded, fine lees are a winemaker’s darling. Inside the dead yeast cells are a plethora of important compounds, proteins and molecules, like mannoproteins, polysaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids.

Mannoproteins are protein groups that add mouthfeel, aroma, flavor and soften tannins. Polysaccharides—bonded groups of sugar molecules—can reduce the astringency of tannins and create balance and structure in the body of the wine. Fatty acids, which are contained within the cell walls of the yeast, help boost various flavors and aromas. Amino acids have a similar impact, and can also improve texture." Source: https://www.wineenthusiast.com/basics/wine-ages-on-lees-science