A hallmark of the Utopos Vineyard on Roennfeldt Road is the pitch perfect acid/ tannin balance we can achieve in fully ripened fruit. This provides for delicious, highly approachable wines in their youth, whilst enabling them to develop over a 10-15 year period, and maybe more. Following three particularly dry periods, the winter and spring leading into 2022 witnessed a welcome return to above average rainfall. Depleted sub surface moisture levels were replenished. A late October hailstorm passed to the South of the Utopos vineyard the vineyard. Further proof that this location seems blessed by higher powers than the vigneron! The vineyard produced a healthy canopy and set a good even crop. A dry and warm summer was capped by a large pre harvest rain event at the end of February providing a moment of relief for the vines before a drier than average autumn and harvest season. Overall the growing and harvest seasons experienced moderate weather conditions with no dramatic heat spikes. The crop ripened slowly and evenly, producing wines of structure and elegance with depth and length of flavour. In my view, perhaps the strongest vintage to date for Utopos.
The elevation of the Utopos vineyard site along with geology and topography and vine wellbeing all play a mission critical role in capturing true regional and varietal expression of Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine. There are lightly herbaceous lifted fruit characters on the nose, backed in by mocha and cedar. The palate displays great length of fully ripened fruit that is a hallmark of the region and site, but still retains the elegance and structure of great Cabernet Sauvignon wines. A beautiful line of rich cassis like fruit flavour is perfectly framed by long, fine tannins without a hint of astringency.
Harvested on March 24, 2024. A short cold soak followed by a cool 10 day ferment and then into a 2500L foudre and a few new, second and 3rd use very tight grained french barriques for almost 18 months maturation.
The age worthiness of great Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is well proven, and whilst a delicious and enjoyable wine in its youth, you can expect this wine to start to stride out from 10 years old and continue to kick on for at least another decade…or more!
