Open ferments, 10 days on skins, 15 months in a mix of 1-year-old and older French oak. This cuvée is an itinerant blend, made up of ‘favourite batches’ from any given harvest. This year, it’s 65% shiraz and 35% malbec. This is a fairly sumptuous affair, inky and brooding, of fruit laced with dark Asian spices and tar, and drawn long with a fulsome complement of chewy but long tannins, acidity a pop of freshness to close.
93 points
Marcus Ellis, The Wine companion
Battle of Bosworth ‘Best of Vintage’
Best of Vintage is as the name suggests, the very best (red) wine from the vintage, which gets to spend extra time in the best oak barrels. The process begins when Joch tastes every barrel of current red wine when it is time to start bottling them all. Every barrel is tasted and assessed. Any outstanding barrels are set aside for Best of Vintage.
2021 sees the emergence of Malbec into the Best of Vintage frame. Malbec is a lesser-known variety in our region (and in Bordeaux where it comes from). It's a super blending wine, bringing deep colour and tannins to the mix.
This BOV has a deep colour, showing dark and red fruits on the nose, with a whiff of violets. It has a medium-full body and great length and delicious tannins. There’s more than a hint of red, blue and black fruits on the palate. A wine with great depth and intensity.
Open ferments, 10 days on skins, 15 months in a mix of 1-year-old and older French oak. This cuvée is an itinerant blend, made up of ‘favourite batches’ from any given harvest. This year, it’s 65% shiraz and 35% malbec. This is a fairly sumptuous affair, inky and brooding, of fruit laced with dark Asian spices and tar, and drawn long with a fulsome complement of chewy but long tannins, acidity a pop of freshness to close.
93 points
Marcus Ellis, The Wine companion
