Estate Reserve

Beef, veal and fine aged cheese.

Thanks to sufficient cold units, full dormancy break was achieved, encouraging the vines’ health. Bud break occurred early. Warmer days but cooler nights in December, created a high diurnal range but also speed up readiness. 2015 was a text book vintage but seen as “fast” and resulted in harvest starting 2 weeks earlier than the norm. Low pH levels and good acids characterise the result of this harvest

Matured for 18 months in French oak and racked, on average, every four months.

The grapes were hand-sorted and lightly crushed into stainless steel fermentation tanks. They were given a cold soak for three days before allowing the natural fermentation to start. Three pump overs a day were done on the tanks during fermentation, after which they underwent extended skin contact for 2-3 weeks. The wine was placed in French oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation.

Winemaker Dirk and assistant Lehandri endeavour to make Glenelly wines as naturally as possible with wild yeast fermentation and little to no acidification. The team follows a minimal intervention approach to winemaking yet intensive sorting and care is taken when receiving the grapes. We use France’s most recognised coopers (mostly from Taransaud, Boutes and Sylvain) to ensure a gentle and precise elevage, preserving the identity of the terroir of Glenelly. Hygiene is of utmost importance in the cellar and a combination of both hot water and ozonated water is used for cleaning.