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Konpira Maru

2021

‘Voltron’

Red Wine   |   Victoria - Australia
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

Naming a wine can be challenging. It can take weeks, even months to do each cuvée justice by perfectly matching its profile and story to a fitting name that reflects it. The creative process is tortuous and takes hours of reminiscing, Googling and vinous stimulation. It’s “bloody tough.” In most cases it would be easier naming your first child. And then, sometimes everything just aligns and the world feels right and at peace. So, what do you call a super wine made from 5 varieties from 5 different vineyards? A wine which lets each individual variety and site shine independently but harmoniously combine to create something beautiful and unique at the same time. You name it after the super robot piloted by 5 space explorers. Welcome to the stable VOLTRON.

All varieties were fermented separately. Shiraz, Dolcetto and Barbera were all de-stemmed, lightly crushed and then cold soaked for 5 days. This batch was left to warm and ferment naturally and pressed off after a further 10 days, then settled, racked, and transferred to old french oak. Sangiovese was pressed immediately and made as a rosé. It fermented naturally in stainless steel and was kept under 20 degrees to retain fresh and vibrant fruit. Gewürztraminer was fermented naturally on skins for 3 weeks. It was pressed just before dryness and transferred to 20% new Hungarian oak and 80% old french oak. After spending time on their own and all hastily going through malolactic fermentation, the blend was put together and then transferred to 95% old french oak and 5% new Hungarian oak. The blend was left to come together for a further 4 months before being bottled, unfined and unfiltered, with a touch of sulfur.

Stats

  • Grapes: 35% Shiraz - 20% Dolcetto - 20% Barbera - 10% Gewürztraminer - 15% Sangiovese
  • Vineyard: Single vineyards in: Alpine Valleys (Shiraz) - Victoria (Dolcetto) - King Valley (Barbera) - Whitlands (Gewürztraminer) - Grampians (Sangiovese)
  • Vine Age: Average: 23-years-old
  • Soil Type: Primarily: brown & red loam riddled with shale
  • Viticulture: Practicing organic (Celeste) - sustainable (Eurangie Park, King River Estate) - conventional (Dal Bosco, Aradale)
  • Fermentation: Native - stainless-steel (100% destemmed - Sangiovese was whole-bunch pressed - Gewürztraminer was skin-fermented)
  • Skin Contact: 5 days (Shiraz, Dolcetto, Barbera) - 21 days (Gewürztraminer)
  • Aging: 7 months – seasoned French barrels & a couple of new Hungarian barrels - stainless-steel (Sangiovese)
  • Alcohol: 12.6%
  • Residual Sugar: 1.1 g/L
  • pH: 3.66
  • Total Acidity: 4.9 g/L
  • Total SO2: 59 ppm
  • Total Production: 389 cases

Tasting Note

This wine is wildly redolent of sour cherries, rose, and baking spices. For such a complex blend of red and white grapes, this wine remains friendly and inviting. Strawberries dominate on the palate, with a cooling menthol sensation in the back of the throat. Serve it chilled for maximum enjoyment.

Press & Reviews

Wine Enthusiast

90

"This wild red blend from Victoria's King Valley is under crown cap, implying bubbles. But the fizz is minimal. A cloudy strawberry color, it's rustic and gently spiced with sour cherry aromas. The palate is soft yet fresh, like a tart cherry pie, with a fruit pit pithiness, a tug of skinsy tannins and a slight funk to the finish. Stripped back for chilling down on a hot summer's day, it's more like drinking fruit juice than wine. Dangerous, really."

- Christina Pickard

Producer


Konpira Maru

Region


Victoria

Country


Australia

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