JENNY DOBSON ALICK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021

Winery notes (2021 Vintage)
"My first red wine was named after my grandmother Doris, it embodies her pioneering spirit and determination. Alick is her eldest son, born in 1927 and this wine captures his character and is a tribute to him. Every family has its stalwart, the grape family has Cabernet Sauvignon, and my family has my Uncle Alick. Like Cabernet Sauvignon Alick is dependable, distinguished, and debonair. A tower of strength.

The grapes for Alick come from the same vineyard as the grapes for Doris and Francie. It is a well-established, organically managed vineyard in a warm stony region of Hawkes Bay. This site is ideal for growing fragrant, thick skinned, well ripened small berry Cabernet Sauvignon. 2021 was a warm and dry growing season and all grapes ripened well and maintained a balanced acidity to give levity and fragrance on the palate.

Cabernet Sauvignon is often the backbone of a blended wine with other varieties used to add roundness and fragrance. The grapes for Alick not only had a depth of tannin they also gave textural richness and complex aromatics allowing me to craft a balanced and complex single variety wine. The wine making was attentive and low intervention. Small vat ferment with indigenous yeast, hand, and foot plunging of the fermentation. Post ferment maceration was followed by pressing in a small basket press. Alick matured for 18 months in small, very fine grain French oak barrels (33% new) and was bottled unfined and unfiltered in December 2022.

Layered and complex, every swirl of the glass reveals a new aroma, dusty warm earth, black fruits, cocoa, black olives, dried herbs. Elegant and restrained in the mouth with wave of silk carrying the fingers of flavour through the palate to surge with depth and concentration on the finish. Alick is a classical, peacock’s tail Cabernet Sauvignon. A “slow” wine for “slow” food, balanced to be enjoyed in its youth and also with bottle maturation."