Sauska Cuvée 7 Siklós
Villány 2019
A complex and layered Merlot- based blend complemented with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of ripe plum and blueberries with an elegant touch of vanilla and sweet tobacco coming from the oak barrel ageing. In the palate is intense yet round with upfront and ripe tannins, ripe blackberry flavours and dark chocolate aftertaste.
The Year
The rollercoaster-like 2019 vintage produced inky wines with balanced tannins and acidity. It started after the driest winter in 10 years and with an earlier-than expected bud break. Then the warm and cool weather waves happened in a roller coaster fashion: warm early-spring, cold late-spring; cold early-summer, warm late-summer; cold early-autumn, warm late-autumn. Grapes for our Cuvée 7 wines were picked relatively late with a fantastic concentration of flavors, color, and freshness.
| Varietal composition: | merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon |
| Recommended drinking temperature: | 17-18 °C ℃ |
| Alcohol content: | 14,5 % |
| Bottle size: | 0,75 l |
Unit price
Vineyards
Blend of two estate-grown vineyards: Makár and Zuhánya located in Siklós, a sub-region of Villány. The backbone of this wine is given by the Merlot grown in the Makár vineyard. Its high elevation, good airflow and strong diurnal shift creates wines with a distinct finesse and balance that represents Siklós area’s personality. Zuhánya’s younger vineyards provide freshness and vibrancy to the blend. These two -and very different- locations combined create the flagship wine of the Sauska winery: Cuvée 7 Siklós.
Winemaking
After a 3-tier thorough selection of hand-picked clusters, the grapes were de-stemmed and after a couple of hours of pre-fermentative cold soak, the fermentation started. Fermented happened in stainless steel tanks. After 35 days of skin-contact, the wine was gently pressed. Aged for 15 months in 225-liter French barrels. 30% new oak was used. Bottle aging: 2 years.
The Year
2019 was the driest winter of the last decade in Villány. Thanks to the winter, bud-break came earlier this year. The period from bud-break to flowering started with a warm April, followed by rainy May, which was the coldest in the last 8 years. Then a very hot June came followed by rainy, cold July and a nice August. We started the harvest with speed-picking for Rose in the last week of August, with the focus to preserve fresh fruitiness. The rest of the season was a bit hectic with warm weather and even frost. In spite of the ups and downs, the berries arrived in the processing room with perfect phenolic ripening, high potential alcohols, low malic acid content, and high color intensity.
Details
| Type | Red wine |
| Acidity | 5,5 g/l |
| Alcohol content | 14,5 % |
| Varietal composition: | merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon |
| pH | 3,75 |
| Bottle size | 0,75 l |
| Beginning of harvest | 2019-09-22 |
| Bottling date | 2021-10-15 |
| Vinification | A complex and layered Merlot- based blend complemented with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. |
| Ageing time | 15 Month |
| Vineyards | Zuhánya, Makár |
Tasting
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color | Ruby red |
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smell | Aromas of ripe plum and blueberries with an elegant touch of vanilla and sweet tobacco coming from the oak barrel ageing. |
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taste | In the palate is intense yet round with upfront and ripe tannins, ripe blackberry flavours and dark chocolate aftertaste. |