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Our 2006 Max Reserva Shiraz is sourced from our Don Maximiano Estate in
the Aconcagua Valley, a region with a Mediterranean climate with moderately
warm summer days and cooling afternoon breezes. The drip-irrigated Shiraz
vineyard at Don Maximiano was planted in 1993 on a northwest-facing 5°
slope with gravel-sandy-clay soil and very good drainage. The Shiraz vineyard
is vertically trellised and spur pruned with intensive canopy management to
ensure excellent leaf surface area to crop the load.
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Picking Date:
Historic Averages:
Heat Summation (Oct - Apr): 1,717 degree days (dg).
Mean Temperature (Oct - Apr): 18.9ºC (66ºF)
Temperature Oscillation (Oct - APR): 18.5ºC (65.3ºF)
RainFall (Year Round): 250 mm/9.8 inches
Comparing the monthly temperatures from October 2005 to April 2006
(1,681 dg) with the previous 2004-2005 season (1,717 db), reveals that it was
indeed a cold season. The difference was evident by December, when the
average high temperatures dropped to approximately 4°F below the historic
average for that month. This situation delayed the onset of the different
phenological stages (elongation of shoots, flowering, fruit set, and veraison)
by approximately 10 days, which in turn led to a slower ripening process.
As a result, this year’s Shiraz conserved very good levels of acidity and an
aromatic profile of fresh fruit and spice. The key to that season was patience
in waiting for the right moment to harvest. This was aided by a warmer-than-
normal April, which led to wines with ripe, well-rounded tannins and good
structure.
Although the daily temperature oscillations were not particularly broad,
in the months prior to harvest (March-April), they surpassed the historic
average and approached 36°F, which had a positive influence on the synthesis
of anthocyanins in the grapes and resulted in tremendous color intensity.
Fortunately we were not affected by precipitation, except for a half inch
of spring rain in November that did not alter the health conditions of the
vineyard.
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The Shiraz grapes were hand-picked in small boxes of no more than 12 kgs
(26.5 lbs) to avoid bruising the fruit. The grapes were destemmed, gently
crushed and transferred to stainless-steel tanks where fermentation took place
at 26°-30°Celsius (79°-86ºF). Post-fermentation maceration lasted around 3
weeks, depending on the development of the individual lots. The wine was aged
for twelve months in 51% new oak barrels, 50% French and 50% American.
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Deep, dark violet-red in colour with lively aromas of red and black fruit, with
berries, especially blueberries, on the forefront. Floral notes follow and give
way to notes of black and white pepper.
The palate has great structure, with firm tannins that lend tremendous potential
for ageing. The lush, well-rounded palate is full of ripe red and black fruit with
light meat and spice notes. Finishes with toasted notes that lend richness.
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Aconcagua Valley |
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100% Shiraz |
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14.5% by vol. |
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3.60 |
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5.15 g/l (tartaric acid) |
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2.28 g/l |
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