Madeleine Angevine - Fraicheur - Barrel Matured - Oatley Vineyard - Somerset - England

2018 Madeleine Angevine, matured in barrel since March 2019. 

Fully dry.  Only around 290 bottles from each barrel, each one hand numbered. No capsule over the natural cork. Lovely rounded stone fruit notes coming through with classic English hedgerow notes of elderflower and hawthorn. 

This is the Oatley Vineyard Gold Medal hope. The 2016 vintage (Same grapes, same barrel) won a GOLD MEDAL and the CHALLENGE CUP trophy in the then SWVA regional awards 2018 and a GOLD MEDAL in the Independent English Wine Awards (IEWA) 2019, the only competitions it entered.

The 2017 vintage won GOLD and the CHALLENGE CUP  again in the WineGB West Awards 2019, the only competition it entered before selling out.

This style of barrel was researched and developed by Seguin Moreau of Cognac, respected French coopers, to enhance light, white varietal wines. The staves are from the Allier forest, fine-grained and extremely lightly toasted. The barrels have acacia heads (ends), adding  brighter notes to the oak on the palate.