2008 The Money Spider
100% McLaren Vale Roussanne
Artist: Glen Ford ©
Technical Information
Harvest Dates:
21 February to 10 March
Oak Maturation:
None
pH:
3.4
Alcohol by Vol:
13.5%
Glucose + Fructose:
3.5g/L
Titratable Acid:
6.7g/l
Bottling Date:
29 August 2008
Chief Winemaker:
Chester d’Arenberg Osborn
Senior Winemaker:
Jack Walton
"A clean take on a particularly elusive white varietal—there’s some beeswax and honeysuckle here but it’s all about texture. Chester Osborn has nailed the richness and phenolics without losing shape or line. Nice one!"
The Story Behind The Name
The first crop of Roussanne from the 2000 vintage was found to be covered in a sea of tiny “Money Spiders” (Erigoninae). Popular belief is that kindness to these active little creatures will bring good luck, hopefully in the form of money. Being nature-lovers and slightly superstitious to boot, we refrained from sending the spiders to their death and hence were not able to release our first Roussanne until the 2001 vintage by which time the “Money Spiders” had learned their lesson and moved from the vineyard to the bushland surrounding the winery.
The Characteristics
The nose is floral and expressive with orange blossom and honeysuckle alongside exotic tropical flavours of paw paw and fig, with a hint of gingerbread in the background.
Initially the palate is fresh and tight with lemon and lime characters dominating. It opens to ripe apple, white nectarine stone and creamy pine nuts, filling the mouth with complexity.
The palate has good weight with lively acidity and mineral notes lingering. With some bottle age it will open up and reveal further complexity and will cellar well for the next 4 to 6 years.
The Vintage
2008 was a fabulous vintage for white wines in McLaren Vale due to sufficient winter rains and cool conditions for most of the ripening period.
Winter rain ensured the soil reached filled capacity and set the vines up perfectly.
A normal spring and an unseasonably cool January and February meant the vines remained stress free and flavour ripeness was achieved at reasonably low sugar levels with high natural acidity.
The Winemaking
Tasting grapes in the vineyard, Chief Winemaker, Chester Osborn, chose to pick when fully ripe to encourage varietal stone fruit characters.
At the winery the grapes passed through the gentle Demoisy rubber tooth crusher before being basket pressed.
The fermentation was long and moderately cool to retain fruit characters. Only free-run juice was used for the final wine with no malolactic fermentation.