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2024 CCCLXV Durif

$34.00

CCCLXV: the Roman numeral CCCLXV corresponds to Arabic number 365. CCCLXV = 365.

CCCLXV Durif… a wine of the utmost power displaying the heightened intensity that a protracted 365 days on skins gives to this naturally concentrated and intense variety.

Durif is a naturally dark, intense, tannic variety producing deep, full-bodied wines.  When made in the ‘traditional’ way of 7-14 days on skins followed by maturation in oak barrel it delivers a superb immensely full-bodied drink that is often described as ‘Shiraz on steroids’.

CCCLXV Durif 365 takes this a step further. By leaving the wine on skins for an entire year and not maturing it in any oak, the result is an even more concentrated, powerful and thick inky wine. It proclaims all that Durif has to give, allowing the flavour, colour and tannin generosity of the skins to entirely egress into the wine. By bottling after pressing with no barrel maturation, there is no oak intrusion, truly allowing for the Durif grape to shine in its absolute largesse.

Crushed to fermenter march 27, 2024. Drained and pressed march 26, 2025

79 in stock

Appearance:
2024 CCCLXV Durif is an inky indigo-black, hinting at the wine’s brooding intensity.

Aroma:
On the aroma there is an exuberant burst of dark fruit.  Think blackberry compote, plum jam, and cassis, together with notes of spiced rum, boysenberry ice cream, and ripe fig, as well as hints of blood orange and violet adding a floral lift. 

Palate:
The full-bodied palate displays sheer density of rich deep fruits throughout.  The natural tannins are bold, lightly grippy, yet refined, providing a sturdy backbone to the wine’s luscious, almost chewy texture.  To finish it is almost endlessly persistent, with lingering black fruit, and a touch of spice.  This is a textbook Durif of pure varietal expression, oozing generosity and power.

Recommended Drinking:
While drinking superbly now, its structure and depth promise stellar evolution over the next 10–20 years.

The Durif was harvested on March 27th and crushed into an open-top fermenter.  Wild yeast from the vineyard were left to naturally ferment with the ferment temperature reaching 32 degrees C. Hand-pumpovers were employed twice daily during the fermentation.   After the alcoholic fermentation, native malolactic bacteria fermented the natural malic acid into lactic acid.  The wine remained in contact with submerged skins in a sealed vessel for 365 days after which the free-run was drained and the skins were pressed into the same tank.  After settling the wine was racked and then bottled with no oak maturation.

Certified Organic & Biodynamic  |  Vegan Friendly  |  Alc 15.0%  |  Contains 8.9 Standard Drinks  |  Contains Minimum Sulphites

Vintage 2024 was excellent.  Winter and Spring were drier and slightly warmer than average leading to earlier budburst, flowering and veraison.  Summer welcomed refreshing rainfall, average temperatures, with no extreme heat, ensuring the vines flourished with their very balanced crop load and apt canopy leading to steady ripening.  Autumn began warm and finished mildly, continuing the consistent ripening of grapes until harvest was finished in mid-Autumn.  The yields are overall average, and the quality is superb

Moppa is predominantly Shiraz with a trace of Petit Verdot (6%) and Viognier (4%) blended in for added complexity.  Grapes are from ten different blocks on the Kalleske’s organic farm, with the oldest of these blocks planted in 1961.  The vines are low-yielding and are grown in shallow, sandy loam soil over superb deep red clay, providing ideal conditions for these varieties.

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