About The Wine
Saperavi can be a tricky beast to tame. It grows tiny berries with thick skins and red flesh which make thick, dark and tannic wines, generally with huge cellaring potential.
The trick is to maintain approachability with this variety, something the team at Massena have perfected over the last few vintages. This wine is gently caressed from the vine into bottle with the utmost care and skill.
Firstly, the fruit sits on skins for up to six weeks to allow the tannins to soften and integrate naturally. It then sees another six weeks in open fermenters as it undergoes a wild ferment in its own time. The final step is a gentle basket pressing before spending time in second and third use oak and being bottled without sulphur.
The result is a wine with power and elegance in spades. Impenetrable inky black in the glass, it is surprisingly enjoyable as a young wine, though will definitely reward the patient. Apparently, it was named after the little yelps that escaped the tasters mouths upon first encounters with barrel samples of this wine.
About Massena
Part of the elite group of wineries in the ‘Artisans of the Barossa’ cellar door, Jaysen Collins’ label Massena is a force to be reckoned with.
After leaving their his day job at Turkey Flat Jaysen started his own brand in 2000 along with Dan Standish. Their mission was to produce wines that are in their own words “true to the Barossa style, being rich, warm and generous.”
Jaysen now flies the Massena plane solo. The wines have never looked better.
From The Producer
It took us a while to get this one right, when we were first experimenting with Petite Sirah the tannins were so pronounced that tasters actually started howling as it crossed their palate. We later planted other naturally tannic varietals Tannat and Saperavi, softening the tannins so the only howl we hear now is one of enjoyment. Taken from Dadd’s Block on the high side – sandy loam with long sunlight hours and low rainfall. The best of these varieties is selected each year, either on their own or as a blend.
Winemaking: Destemmed into open fermenters, left to spontaneously ferment, then pumped over sporadically for 10 days before some parcels see extended post fermentation maceration for up to 6 weeks. Extended skin contact integrates the tannins and produces a wine that is a lot softer and more approachable when young. Gentle basket pressing follows, with each vineyard parcel kept separate in 2nd and 3rd use French oak hogsheads until just prior to blending and bottling.
Blend : Saperavi (100%)
ABV : 13.50%
Closure : Screw cap
Drink Until : 2025
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"The Howling Dog label is about “celebrating varieties that have density and power”.This is so fresh it almost seems raw. It has that tank sample freshness to it; that purple crack of bare fruit flavour. Berries, foresty and spiced. A little chocolate. A lot of floral elements. And mouthwatering acidity. There’s tannin here, slightly twiggy but carried by fruit. It has drinkability writ large." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
Sydney Metro orders in the Pink Zone will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Orders in the Blue Zone will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Everything outside these zones will be delivered by Australia Post.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up at 12pm from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri). Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm and delivered on Thursday or Friday. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Australia Wide Deliveries To the rest of Australia we use Australia Post. The Australia Post Collection Truck picks up orders from our Sydney warehouse every weekday at midday. If your order is placed before 12pm we’ll get it on the truck that day. Delivery times vary considerably with Australia Post and unfortunately there is no Express Delivery Option for wine (because it is fragile and heavy). PLEASE NOTE that we are currently seeing significant delays in the Australia Post delivery network. Strict government health and safety requirements and very high parcel volumes are causing significant backlogs at the main NSW and VIC sorting facilities. Orders are still arriving safe and sound but you may notice slower delivery times and less frequent scanning updates than usual.
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