{"product_id":"2018-charles-melton-nine-popes-barossa-valley-liberty","title":"2018 Charles Melton, `Nine Popes` Barossa Valley - Liberty","description":"\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eCharlie Melton was among the first to recognise the value and tradition of Barossa Valley’s old-vine Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre (Mataro). While others were grubbing up Shiraz to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie and a small band of Barossa winemakers convinced farmers to keep their historic vineyards. These wines were initially styled on those from the Rhône but are now considered leading examples in their own right.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eSince 1984, Charlie has produced premium Barossa red wines. Charles Melton is a family project, and today his daughter Sophie, a talented young winemaker, assists Charlie in the winery. The wines have lovely balance and freshness, with the use of primarily French and some American oak giving them a supple texture and poise. The grapes are dry-grown, chemical-free and harvested from estate-owned vineyards in Tanunda and Lyndoch. These vineyards now comprise 20 hectares, the oldest planted in 1947 and the rest from the late 1960s onwards. The estate vineyards are supplemented by other growers with whom Charlie has worked for many years, with the oldest grower block dating from the 1880s, with numerous vines ranging between 70 and 100 years old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eBest known for his ‘Nine Popes’ blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, Charlie’s single-site wines such as ‘Grains of Paradise’ and ‘Voices of Angels’ have drawn much attention in recent years. The former, from the Barossa, is a modern classic that is full-bodied and opulent, yet refined, while the latter, from a vineyard straddling the border of the Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley, is elegant and perfumed with a lovely mid-palate generosity. Named after Charlie’s wife, the ‘Rose of Virginia’ is a unique style of rosé. Vibrant cerise in colour, this is full-bodied yet crisp, with a fragrant bouquet of Turkish Delight, seasoned with pepper and spice. The ‘Kirche’ is a Cabernet Shiraz blend named after an old Lutheran church that the vineyard surrounds. It is aged in both French and American oak, delivering a plush style with plentiful fruit, vanilla and sweet spice. The Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon, made exclusively from ‘Kirche’ vineyard estate fruit, is rich and layered with fine tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe Grenache in this blend comes from old bush vines in the Barossa, many of which are over 80 years old. The Mourvèdre is also from a small parcel of bush vines in the Eden Valley, whilst the Shiraz is trellis grown. The blend is made up primarily of grapes from Charles Melton's prime vineyards plus some from the vineyards of a small number of trusted partner growers. None of the vineyards are irrigated, they are all dry grown. This coupled with the low yielding old vines leads to great concentrations of flavour in the grapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAverage winter and spring rainfall set the vineyard up for a great season. Warm and dry conditions in late spring and early summer encouraged early ripening and harvest began in the first week of February.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eNine Popes was vinified with a couple of key objectives in mind. Both whole bunch fermentation and destemmed but uncrushed berries were used during the maceration period, to ensure the greatest degree of fragrance, along with cool fermentation temperatures and careful cap management to gain the silky texture and density that the Popes is known for. The 2018 underwent malolactic fermentation in a mix of old and new oak, where it remained for 18 months. The wine was then transferred to new French oak for a further twelve months prior to natural settling and bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis wine opens with a density of aromatics and notes of toasty flint, anise and licorice. On the palate, generous but finely structured sweet red fruit characters are intermingled with all spice. It is rich and complex in the Nine Popes tradition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56607302746490,"sku":null,"price":59.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/126ebab5-56b6-4983-a325-42375d1d6022__250x500_d0e7d8ad-5d53-4ffc-9e4c-00b9d0beb4ce.jpg?v=1771522864","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2018-charles-melton-nine-popes-barossa-valley-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}