La Linea Tempranillo (Test)

$27.00 – $324.00

Clear
Variety
Tempranillo? Spain’s great red grape! It parallels Shiraz in Australia, in that it is grown across the country in diverse climates, and made into many styles. Renowned UK writer and critic Jancis Robinson describes it as “… capable of making deep coloured, long-lasting wines that are not notably high in alcohol…”, with characters including “strawberries… spice, leather and tobacco leaves…”.
Vineyard
The grape—and the 2019 vintage Tempranillo can be difficult to grow, and deserves its reputation as something of a ‘sook’! Famed for early and quick ripening, it will drop leaves if challenged by heat and drought—even in the cool of the Hills.

For a decade now we have worked with sites up and down the north/south spine of the Hills, from Kersbrook in the north to Kuitpo and Macclesfield at the southern end. In 2019 we took in fruit for red wine from only two (Kuitpo and Gumeracha), and after our usual ruthless barrel selection process, were delighted to include both in the blend.

It is 75% Kuitpo + 12% ‘Gum’, with the balance being a couple of barrels of our 2019 Lenswood Mencia. Call that the not-so-secret ingredient…

Style
Our long-standing aim has been to make a fragrant, medium-bodied but savoury wine. It’s what the Hills does best from this variety.

In blending we chose to team the floral perfume and finesse of Kuitpo with the fleshy spice of Gumeracha. And the Mencia? As well as some red berry liveliness, it offered an extra edge of structure: a kick of mid-palate tannin that filled out the wine; rounded it while adding depth. Will we do it again one day? We’ll see…

From a terrific vintage, a wine true to both variety and region. It has balance and poise, but also a structure which will see it soften and gain complexity in bottle over 7-12 years. If you can wait. We will struggle to.

Specifications

13.5% v/v
RS <1.0 g/L
pH 3.62
TA 6.2 g/L

Acclaim

2016 Tempranillo Review WBM
Advertiser 2014 Tempranillo
Taste
Epicure
WBM
Australian Wine Review
WineWise
Wine Taste Weekly
Taste Top 100