Lenswood Abbotts Prayer 2007
Grape Variety
91% merlot and 9% cabernet sauvignon grapes grown on Stephen and Prue Henschke's Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills.
Technical Details
Harvest Date: 12-18 April
Alcohol: 14.5% | pH: 3.59 | Acidity: 6.61 g/L |
Maturation
Matured in 60% new and 40% used French hogsheads for 16 months prior to blending and bottling.
Background
Stephen and Prue Henschke, fifth-generation winemakers at the family cellars at Keyneton, selected Lenswood in 1981 as a new vineyard site, just 50km from their ancient Mount Edelstone and Hill of Grace vineyards. At 550m, the Lenswood vineyard slopes offer not only beautiful views towards the older vine country but also higher rainfall and humidity at the right time of the year, cooler temperatures to retain natural acidity, and still enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes. The Abbotts Prayer label links together the history, religion and pioneers of this mountainous region. This property along Coldstore Road, including the vineyard, was pioneered by T N Mitchell, the first settler, and originally known as Abbotts Flat. Vineyards were previously established in this area in the late 1800s.
Vintage Description
The 2007 vintage, surprisingly, resulted in excellent quality wines and average yields being obtained from the Adelaide Hills. The highly publicised drought of 2006 had been reported as the worst ever. Our Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills received only half its annual rainfall and was one of our driest seasons. Despite an early winter break, rainfall during winter and spring was the worst for years in the lead-up to flowering. There was no spring frost damage at Lenswood due to the steep terrain, but a lack of subsoil moisture due to the drought, which helped control yields.
Brief heat waves occurred during January; otherwise it was mild and dry. At the end of January a tropical air mass connected with a cold front to bring good rains to the agricultural areas of South Australia, with flooding up north. The rainfall fell steadily over four days, coinciding with veraison, which freshened up the vine canopy to assist with ripening the fruit for harvest. February was recorded as the hottest for 100 years, bringing the harvest forward.
The vintage began three to four weeks early, one of the earliest on record, remaining dry and mild allowing for good maturity. The whites were picked by March 20 and the reds by April 18, a record early finish. In summary, a warmer and drier Eden Valley-like vintage with good average yields and excellent quality.
Wine Description
Vivid crimson in colour. Sweet, perfumed aromas of violets, mulberries, blueberries and cassis with hints of sage oil, vanilla bean and cedar. A sweet, lush, fleshy, textured palate with layers of fine-grained, velvety tannins, balanced acidity and great length.
Cellaring Potential
Excellent vintage, drink now to 2017.
Serving Idea