PROMESSA Organic Syrah-Merlot 2009 The Promessa wines were created by Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sbalchiero, the duo behind A Mano. Mark has re-launched this label to accommodate a wine from a 100 hectare, organic vineyard he came across in the hills above Martina Franca. ‘It was such a beautiful site, I just couldn‘t resist buying the fruit and making the wine even though the wines were never going to be A Mano, as the varieties are primarily Merlot and Syrah‘, said Mark. The vineyard on which the grapes for the new Promessa are grown was designed by one of Spain‘s leading landscape artists. ‘It is like a garden‘, says Mark Shannon. ‘The rows of vines follow the contours of the hills, fitting in with the site rather than making the site fit in with the vines.‘ The vineyard is certified organic. 2009 was the first vintage of this wine and the fruit quality was exceptional. All equipment including tanks and hoses were sterlised the night before the grapes arrived so they could be processed immediately on arrival at the winery. The Merlot and Syrah were crushed and put into separate stainless steel tanks with a starter of pure biological yeast and malolactic bacteria. Fermentation was at low temperatures, 17°C, and lasted two weeks after which it was pressed and fermentation completed. The wine rested and was then racked off the lees and into stainless steel tank kept outside to allow the wine to clarify naturally over the winter. The Syrah and Merlot were blended and bottled. No fining agents were used and minimal sulphur dioxide to keep the wine as natural as possible. Tremendous depth of colour and a youthful purple rim. Lovely intensity on the nose with the Merlot providing the power and weight and the Syrah giving the wine its succulent cranberry fruit character, its notes of strawberry and black pepper and the long, juicy finish characteristic of Mark Shannon‘s wines. Vintage 2009 Grape varieties 50% Syrah 50% Merlot Region Gioia del Colle Winemaker Mark Shannon Closure Stelvin Certification Organic Alcohol (ABV) 13.5% Acidity 5.5g/l Residual Sugar 3.5g/l Wine pH 3.68 Find this wine at www.winestore.co.uk Price: £48.89 (Including VAT at 20%)