Leat 6500 The Origin

LEAT 6500 The Origin Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot DOC – CMD MURFATLAR 2011

VINEYARD NOTES: Latitude: 44º10’ – 44º20’ northern latitude; Longitude: 28º00’- 28º30’ east longitude; Climate: temperate continental, influenced by the Danube and Black Sea; Relief: slightly wavy, slopes 4-5%; Type of soil: carbonated chernozem. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are harvested from parcels nr. 562/l, 562, 564, at Farm 6, located at an altitude of 52 m to the S, with 201 days of vegetation in 2011, planted in 2003; the Merlot grapes are harvested from parcels nr. 498, 496, 494, at Farm 6, located at an altitude of 60 m to the S, with 202 days of vegetation in 2011, planted in 2005.

VINTAGE REPORT: For the 2011 vintage, the gentle, sunny autumn as well as the lack of precipitation offered the Murfatlar vineyard the ideal conditions for producing red wines of exceptional quality. The average temperature in July, an essential month for wine, was of 23,8˚C, with 2099 hours of actual heatstroke and 350 mm of rainfall in the months of vegetation.

WINEMAKING: The Cabernet Sauvignon and Murfatlar grapes were harvested by hand upon reaching their optimum maturity and vinified separately. Once brought to the Atelier Cellars, the bunches first underwent a rigorous sorting process, “grape by grape” followed by the destemming. The periodic homogenization of the must fermenting with the grape skins ensured the extraction of the aromas typical of this variety, its color and its tannins. The young wine was stored for maturation in new barrels of Romanian oak wood. At the end of the 18 months of maturation, the wines from each barrel were individually selected and assembled. The conditioning and filtration processes were kept to a necessary minimum, so as not to lose anything of the wine’s generous character and intense color.

SERVING: 16° – 18° Celsius. Excellent for barbequed beef, lamb dishes, venison, moussaka, mushrooms, mature cheeses, fleshy vegetables and deserts with dark, bitter chocolate. Aging potential: 10-15 years of careful bottle storage.

ANALYSIS: Alc=13%; Zah=3,4 g/l; pH=3,5; AT=5,9; AV=0,47. Batch: 15.873 bottles.

VARIETY: Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) & Merlot (40%) DOC – CMD MURFATLAR

TASTING NOTES: Intense, purplish red color, with hints of maturity. As for aromas, this wine offers nuances of forest fruit, sweet spices and mint chocolate. Upon tasting, we are met with a pleasant feeling of freshness and a flavor of blueberries, ripe sour cherries and tart fruits, beautifully entwined with the notes of cinnamon and vanilla extracted from the barrel of Romanian oak. A generous, full-bodied wine, with soft, fine tannins.