GranMonte Durif 2019

GranMonte Durif opens with a lively and fruity bouquet of ripe mulberry, blackcurrant and blueberry. A youthful yet elegant wine with powerful tannins and a vibrant acidity on the palate. Reveals a juicy plum and blackcurrant character nuanced by layers of liquorice and black pepper. Closes in a long lingering mocha finish.

100% Durif. The fruit for this wine comes from GranMonte's 15 hectare estate vineyard that lies in Asoke valley, Thailand, 350 metres above sea level. Unique in Thailand and only found at GranMonte, Durif originates from eastern-France. It is also known as Petit Syrah in the USA and showed great potential after GranMonte's first experimental planting in 2005. GranMonte has since expanded into three sizeable blocks of Durif and remain the first grower and only producer of Durif in Thailand.

The vineyard operates with a precision farming system called ‘Smart Vineyard’, which incorporates a microclimate monitoring system. The system greatly assists their ‘tropical’ vineyard management to achieve the best possibly quality and higher yield of grapes in this unconventional viticulture climate.

Careful hand harvesting of the fruit at optimum ripeness in February at 23°C to avoid over ripeness, for juicy flavours and natural acidity. Fermentation in stainless steel and malolactic fermentation was done in second year French oak puncheons. The wine then ages in oak for 12 months to soften its bold tannins (a distinctive characteristic of this grape variety).