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Ochota Barrels

2023

‘Texture Like Sun – Sector Red 8’

Red Blend   |   Adelaide Hills - Australia

About

The label may be completely illegible with its utterly lurid and almost painful yellow label. “That’s the idea”, said Taras back in 2018. “It’s something in a clear bottle, released in Spring, nothing to hide, yummy”. This wine has always been about the result and not the components, with each vintage changing quite a bit in the ‘how’s’ and ‘what’s’.  The name of the wine is taken from lyrics from the song ‘Golden Brown’ by The Stranglers as it was the song Taras and Amber danced to at their wedding. 2023 marks the third vintage of a new era at Ochota Barrels with Amber taking control in the vineyards and cellar following the tragic passing of her husband Taras.  This vintage is a heavily Pinot Noir dominant blend as it was a great year for Adelaide Hills Pinot. Coming off the back of a wet and cold spring and an early cooling summer, a lot of vineyards struggled with ripening especially in the Piccadilly Valley where the majority of this fruit comes from. This allowed for a longer ripening period without the risk of high sugars, leading to a light, juicy and fragrant Adelaide Hills red blend.

The fruit was hand-picked with only the best fruit being used. The clusters were kept separate and cold soaked for a few days, then fermentation kicked off naturally in small, open-top fermenters. The fruit was hand plunged multiple times a day over the course of about eight days prior to being basket-pressed to old French barriques for aging. Amber made the barrel selections for the blend after a few months of aging then blended the wines to tank to settle. It was bottled without fining and just a small 35ppm addition of sulfur and pad filtration.

Stats

  • Grapes: 70% Pinot Noir - 10% Shiraz - 10% Gewürztraminer - 5% Pinot Meunier - 5% Gamay
  • Vineyard: Virgara Vineyard, Adelaide Hills (Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Meunier, Gamay) - Grancari Vineyard, McLaren Vale (Shiraz)
  • Vine Age: Average 30-years-old
  • Soil Type: Heavy clay, schist, and sandy loam
  • Viticulture: Certified organic (Grancari Vineyard) - Practicing organic (Vigara Vineyard)
  • Fermentation: Native – each variety individually fermented in open-top fermenters with a mix of whole berries and whole clusters
  • Skin Contact: 8 days
  • Aging: 5 months in old French barriques
  • Alcohol: 12.3%
  • pH: 3.57
  • Total Acidity: 5
  • Total SO2: 58 ppm
  • Total Production: 497 cases
  • UPC: None

Tasting Note

This is a high-toned Adelaide Hills red with sour cherry, pomegranate, and white pepper aromas. The palate is utterly juicy, with a touch of bitterness from stems, and plenty of dazzling acidity. Drink chilled.

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