Aurora - Chateau, Batroun Mountains, Lebanon (2018)

TASTING NOTES

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine offers complex nose of black plum, strawberry, kirsch, black licorice and vanilla. The palate is full-bodied and intense, with the black fruits mingling with flavours of baker’s chocolate, mint and cedar and savoury umami notes. The tannins are certainly firm, but round enough to be approachable.

The Batroun Mountains wine region sits 55 km away from Beirut, right against the Mediterranean coast. Enjoying huge diurnal swings, the mountains enjoy 300 days a year of sunshine. Winemaking here is considered “heroic”, as the vineyards sit on hacked out rock terraces between 700 and 1300 masl. The second-largest growing region in Lebanon to the Bekaa Valley, the soils are Ferric clay with limestone slabs, all covered with varying-sized pebbles and rocks. 

The vineyards of Aurora Winery sit at 850-900 masl and are laid out on steep terraces in the Batroun Mountains, overlooking the Mediterranean and surrounded by olive, oak and pine trees. With a good base of limestone and clay covered with stones, there is great drainage, allowing the dry-farmed vines to dig deep for a water source.

Hand-harvested fruit, selected from vines that are only allowed a maximum of 8 clusters per vine. The grapes are hand-sorted and de-stemmed before being fermented low and slow in stainless steel. After fermentation is complete, the wine is placed into French oak barriques (30% new) for a year of aging, followed by at least a year in bottle before release.