2021 Pfeiffer Tempranillo

$30.00

Tempranillo is a variety renowned for its warmth and generosity of flavour. Its savoury nature complements a wide range of food styles.

Availability

Limited Bottles Remaining

Vintage

2021

Seal

A screw cap has been used on our 2021 Tempranillo to maximise its flavour and freshness, and to eliminate the chances of cork taint.

Cellar

A delicious and savoury wine to be enjoyed now and until 2029.

Vegan Friendly

Vegan NO | Vegetarian YES

Yeast

Lalvin Clos – a strong fermenter, chosen for its high alcohol tolerance and its ability to enhance mouthfeel, structure and complexity.

Allergens

Contains Sulphites and Egg

Technical Details

Res. Sugar 0.69 g/l
pH 3.68
TA 5.84 g/L
Alcohol 15.1% v/v

90/100 Halliday Wine Companion 2024

SILVER: Rutherglen Wine Show 2023

Fruit Sourcing

Victoria – Rutherglen, Swan Hill

Harvest Date

February and March 2021

The growing season got off to a great start, with higher than average rainfall volumes falling in both Winter and Spring, giving us an total annual rainfall of 657mm for the year.

Regular rain events occurred through September to November, with December recording lower than average rainfall. These excellent conditions saw strong canopy growth and average to above average yields developing.

The beginning of summer was dry, yet mild, with only 3 days of temperatures exceeding 40˚C, just prior to Australia Day. This was followed by a significant rain event of around 50mm, which increased the disease pressure on some varieties that were approaching their harvest date.

February and March were also dotted with rain events, with 50mm and 60mm falling respectively, again leaving certain varieties close to harvest susceptible to fruit breakdown. The timing of picking was critical to the overall wine quality.

Overall, the season was around 2 weeks later than usual, with the vintage starting on 17th February with Alpine Valleys Pinot Grigio. The majority of the fruit was harvested in the second half of March, and into April, with rain events around Easter seeing our intake accelerate throughout the month of April, with the last fruit harvested on 30th April.

Quality is good, with white varieties showing lovely aromatics, and plenty of natural acidity, ensuring good longevity in the bottle. The red varieties show a diversity of style, with Shiraz performing well again across multiple sites, and our old vine Pinot Noir and Gamay looking particularly strong.

Our fortified varieties were unfortunately very low yielding and variable in quality. Our Portuguese varieties were affected by late rain, so we made the decision not to pursue a Vintage Fortified from 2021, but we have some real highlights in our Muscat and Muscadelle (for Topaque) from our Carlyle vineyard, which appear destined for our Grand and Rare soleras.

I am sure we will discover more vinous treasures in the cellar as time rolls on.

Our Pfeiffer Tempranillo 2021 is a blend of fruit from our Sunday Creek vineyard in Rutherglen and dedicated grower, Colin Free’s vineyard at Tresco West, east of Swan Hill. In each case, the fruit was machine harvested in the cool of the early morning, with approximately 10-15% of the juice being run-off at the crusher. Both parcels underwent at cold maceration for 3 days, before yeast innoculation. Fermentation occurred on skins in static fermenters for approximately 10 days, with manual pump overs occurring twice daily. With around 20% of the ferment remaining, a portion of the Sunday Creek vineyard was run-off into barrel to complete fermentation, while the balance fermented to dryness on skins before pressing.

The barrel fermented wine was left on its yeast lees for around 4 months, with weekly batonage (lees stirring), before being pumped out and blended with the non-barrel fermented component of the Sunday Creek Tempranillo. Both the Sunday Creek and Colin Free’s Tempranillo parcels were matured for approximately a further 12 months in a combination of new, 1, 2, 3 and 6 year old French and American oak barrels of various sizes, mainly 500L puncheons. After oak maturation, the wine was blended, fined and clarified prior to bottling in early September 2022.

Our 2021 Pfeiffer Tempranillo is a vibrant red colour and has a lovely perfume of red fruits, chocolate and spice. The palate is vibrant and juicy, with fresh red berry fruits on the mid-palate and a lingering, savoury finish.

Tempranillo is a versatile food wine and pairs well with any grilled meat; or spicy, vegetarian dishes.

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