Dona Paula Cabernet Sauvignon

	Doña Paula Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

	2005 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Region: Alto Ugarteche, Luján de Cuyo R= 11; Mendoza – Argentina (1000 mts above sea level). Vineyard: 48 ha planted in 1998 almost all of them = in own roots, 7 has. In 1103 P rootstock . The genetic material comes from a mass selection carried out in the Catena vineyards and 7 ha are planted w= ith the R5 clon. The spacing is 2.2 * 1.5 m with vertical trellising and cane pruning. Drip irrigation (2,3 l / h) with inline emitters and in poorer s= oils with two lines. Covercrops are used in all the vineyards. Soil: Originally alluvial, the soil is a typical land flow of average depth and clayey texture, with some round, smooth pe= bble of different sizes and basic pH. Harvest: Last week March. The harvest was carried = out manually with a high selection in the field, discarding any cluster of a non-satisfactory quality. Transportation of the grapes was made in bins of 500 Kg. Grape ripeness: The most important criterion for assessing the grapes is flavor and tannins structure development, which is done by regularly tasting the fruit and the skin on= the vine. Other important conditions of the fruit and vines are sugar level, total acids and pH. The target sugar level for the Cabernet Sauvignon was between 25 to 26°Brix. Wine making details: All the stems of t= he grape were removed. Partial crushing of the berries: 20% of berries were crushed to provide s= ome berry aromas and a carbonic maceration character to the wine. Addition of 5 g/hl of SO2 at crusher. Inert gas blanketing. Carbon dioxide gas was dispersed over the must to exclude oxygen from juice. Gentle handling of the grapes in all the process with positive displaceme= nt pumps with variable speed control. Must cooling to reduce the temperature immediately after crushing to maintain flavors and aromas and reduce the level of SO2. Cool pre-fermentation maceration for 48 hr to extract primary flavors and color. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with jackets for ten days at 22°C = with a peak of 28°C between 10 to 8 Bé. Total maceration period of = 15 days. Natural malolactic fermentation took place in tanks at 16°C. No press wine has been added. 20% of the wine has been aged for two months w= ith a variety of different toast French oak. Finned with albumen and cool tartrate stabilization. Filtered just by pressure filter with large diatomaceous (or kieselgur).<= br> Tasting notes: Color: Dark and deep ruby color.. Aroma: Complex and concentrated aromas of ripe currant, graphite a= nd mineral notes are combined with toasty oak hints. Palate: ripe and rich tannins with a long and persistent aftertast= e. Bottled: June 2005. Minimum Cellar potential: 7 years Technical details: Alcohol content: 14.20 % vol. Total Acidity: 6.22 g/l (tartaric acid) pH: 3.60 Sugar: 2.85 g/l Wine and Food: Try with roasts a= nd steaks, hearty casserole or stews, grilled vegetables, pasta dishes, sala= mi, cheese soufflé, kebabs, meatballs, Couscous, ratatouille.