2007 The Cenosilicaphobic Cat
Sagrantino (91%) Cinsault (9%)
Artist: Anthony Kentuck
Technical Information
Harvest Dates:
14 & 20 March
Oak Maturation:
18 months in new and older French and American Barriques
Alcohol by Volume:
14.5%
Titratable Acid:
7.7g/L
pH:
3.41
Bottling Date:
28 October 2008
Chief Winemaker:
Chester Osborn
Senior Winemaker:
Jack Walton
Additional Information:
Vegan Friend;ly
"It’s a blend of Sagrantino (91%) and Cinsaut (9%). Cenosilicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass and at present I’m suffering from inverse Cenosilicaphobia. It’s all dried herbs, a touch of rubber and spice but also has jubey red fruit that’s reminiscent of Redskins, plus a bit of chocolate licorice bullet..and I’d say that just about covers it. Medium bodied with firm raspy tannins, fresh acidity and huge interest. The flavours are rustic and herbal - distinctly Italianate - but what a good grape this is, and clearly one with local potential. A quirky but thoroughly loveable wine. Hard to rate - the points include a bonus for charisma."
The Story Behind The Name
Growing up, fourth generation winemaker, Chester Osborn, had a large ginger cat with blood shot eyes named Non Alcoholic Booze. In typical Australian fashion this was shortened to Booze after he was caught cleaning up a small red wine spill with his tongue. He developed quite a taste for red after that, but was denied access to his new found love by the concerned Osborn family. Consequently Non Alcoholic Booze lived a frustrated life, because despite his nickname, he suffered a monumental case of Cenosilicaphobia (the fear of an empty glass).
The Characteristics
The nose indicates that this is a unique wine with a dominant dried herb character and other savoury nuances of saltbush, red currant leaf and a hint of black tea.
Dried herbs also run through the palate from the attack right through to the fruit tannins on the finish and provide a fantastic framework for the other flavours. There is wonderful depth with red cherries and layers of rich coffee, dark chocolate and nicely integrated oak. The Cinsault component is harmonious and provides lift, softness, fine minerality and bright acidity. The chalky fruit tannins are prominent and vibrant as typical for Sagrantino.
The flavours linger and the palate builds long after the wine has left the mouth. Decanting is highly recommended and cellaring will be rewarding.
The Vintage
Owing largely to drought and a warm start to Summer, the 2007 vintage started extremely early. These conditions caused short shoot length and reduced berry and bunch sizes.
In late January a 50mm downpour reduced yields further, but was a welcome relief.
Moderately warm weather followed to ripen the fruit in low stress conditions that resulted in good flavour concentration and excellent levels of natural acidity.
This is the first vintage of Sagrantino, the Cinsault vineyard was planted in 1958.
The Winemaking
Walking the vineyard rows and tasting grapes, Chester Osborn classifies and determines the ideal picking time for each individual vineyard.
Small batches are crushed in the Demoisy open-mouthed, rubber toothed crusher and then transferred to five tonne headed-down open fermenters. These batches remain separate until final blending.
Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation. When tannin extraction is just right the wine is basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and old French and old American oak barriques to complete primary and secondary fermentation. The barrel fermented component is aged on lees to slow aging and keep the wine fresher while also reducing the oak influence. There is no racking until final blending.
Chester and the winemaking team undertake an extensive barrel tasting process to determine the final blend. The Cenosilicaphobic Cat does not undertake fining or filtration prior to bottling.
Customer Tasting Notes
Well, this was a very pleasant find, even if the name is a tad hard to pronounce. There was a great intense but mild lingering spice hit in the mouth with an overall smooth dark berry flavour anda hint of mint. Consumed with herb crusted Lamb and olive tapenade. A great match and worth having more than once.