SOUTH AFRICA
Axe Hill Cape Vintage Port
2003 Blend
Viticulture
| Vineyard: |
South facing. |
| Soil Type: |
Rocky soil. |
| Vine Age: |
Planted in 1993. |
| Irrigation: |
Drip Method |
| Harvest Date: |
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| Yield: |
4 t/ha |
Vinification:
A blend of Tourga Nacional and Tinta Barroca.
Axe Hill Vintage Port is made with same traditional way used in Portugal. The grapes are foot-trodden, prior to fermentation, to extract the tannins as gently as possible. The wine is fermented in open "lagares" (concrete tanks), fortified with brandy spirit, and aged in 500 liter oak casks for just less than two years before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
| Color: |
Deep opaque dark ruby. |
| Nose: |
This vintage shows great poise and elegance, being somewhat restrained initially on the nose |
| Palate: |
With a multitude of ripe fruit and tannin flavors in the mouth. |
| Other: |
The 2003 Axe Hill Cape Vintage is altogether more concentrated and robust than anything we have produced thus far. After visiting Portugal we discovered that they prefer to keep their sugar down and we harvested at about 24.5 degrees balling as a result. A small quantity of Souzao came into bearing for the first time as well. |
Chemical Analysis:
| Alc (%): |
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| RS (g/l): |
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| TA (g/l): |
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| pH: |
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