Brash Higgins 2020 ‘RIPPLE’ Carbonic Cabernet / Nero

There’s a story behind this wine, our first foray into legit carbonic maceration. A fellow winemaker, Tom Colman, pulled me aside after a long consumer tasting in Sydney and said, “Brash, you should pick some whole bunch Cab Sav and flood it with Nero juice and let it ferment”. I was intrigued and it haunted me. Why was I the one to which he chose to speak these mysterious words?

Two years later in 2020 we gave it a go. This wine is made from freshly picked, destemmed Nero d’Avola grapes which were quickly pressed. The juice from the press was channeled into a half ton bin full of waiting whole cluster Cabernet Sauvignon. All the Nero juice covered the Cabernet grapes and their stems, submerging the clusters completely. The idea is that the sugar in the Cabernet berries, starved of oxygen, will ferment inside their little berry bodies and create a lighter, slightly confectionary flavour profile. My trusty pal, Q Wine from Queensland, who worked harvest with me in 2020, said it smelled like strawberry ripple ice cream, and we were off! And then there’s the great song “Ripple” by the Grateful Dead. And then there’s also the wine from the 70’s in the US called Ripple which was, well, meant for the youth of America, believe it or not. But perhaps it’s the idea of ripples themselves, waves of ideas forever radiating outwards…cause and effect into eternity… All the fruit for the ensuing wine was handpicked off our Omensetter Estate Vineyard.

“Translucent garnet hue with a nose redolent of candied wild strawberries with a touch of wintergreen. On the palate juicy with pretty, powdery red fruits and enough tannin and acidity to pull and keep it all taut.” Brad Hickey, Vinitor, Sept 1, 2020

Additional Information:
Harvest: March 5, 2020
Vineyard: Omensetter Vineyard
Grower: Brash Higgins
Planted: Nero d’Avola 2013, Cabernet 1997
Soil Type: Ngaltinga Formation; Red Clay Over Limestone
Viticulture: Organic Certified
Fermenter Type: Half Ton Nally Bin
Maceration: one week semi carbonic
Primary Fermentation: 12 days
Barrel: Ten Year Old French puncheon
Time in Barrel: 5 months
Bottled: August 2020
Blend: 50% Nero, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Filtration: Coarse screen, no fining
Closure: Stelvin screwcap
Sulphur: 40 ppm total
pH 3.6, TA 4.5 g/l, ALC 12%

40 Dozen, 60 MAGNUMS

Price: $45 per bottle