2014 Layla Cabernet Merlot

Fermentation:

Both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were treated similarly upon recieval at the winery. The grapes were crushed into stainless steel and inoculated for fermentation. During fermentation, the cap was managed using both pump overs and timely rack and returns to gently extract colour and tannins and protect the bright fruit notes in the wine. Once the wine was dry, it was drained and pressed to stainless steel. Extended post fermentation maceration was avoided in order to retain the elegant structure.

Oak:

The wine was transferred to French oak barriques for 8 months. A blend of 15% new barriques and 85% 1st and 2nd use barriques were used for maturation. In order to increase the complexity and layering of the wine, we use a range of Bordeaux coopers – Taransaud, Demptos, Nadalie and Seguin-Moreau. Fine grained oak from the Tronçais and Vosges forests were used.

Maturation and Bottling:

Blending and bottling occurred in February 2016 to maintain the bright fruit and generous palate texture.This wine is a blend of 67.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32.5% Merlot.As with ourLayla Cabernet Sauvignon, only the best barrels from these parcels were used in the blend.