Brash Higgins MCC Mataro / Cinsault / Carignan 2018
The Brash Higgins MCC is a red wine blend of Mataro (60%), Cinsault (20%) and Carignan (20%) sourced from Michael Lennon’s organically farmed vineyard in Whites Valley. The grapes were all harvested by hand on the same day, before being co-fermented in three one-ton open-top fermenters. The Mataro (Mourvèdre) was 100% whole-bunch fermented, whilst 60% of the Cinsault and 40% of the Carignan was destemmed, with a two-and-a-half-week maceration period. The wine then spent twelve months in eight to ten-year-old 300-litre French oak barrels before being bottled unfined. The pale colour belies the heady aromas of wild cherries, flowers and spice that burst out of the glass. The palate is full of ripe red fruit flavours, framed against notes of bitter almonds and herbs, whilst the delicate, chalky tannins and vein of acidity lift the finish.
