Lucca - Red wine 2022

Winemaking & Terrior
The 2022 vintage Lucca is a blend led by 52% Merlot clone MO343 and 48% Cabernet Franc. The grapes were hand sorted down to berry level en route to tank. We employed the saignée technique, bleeding off a portion of fresh juice to enhance the skin-to-juice ratio and thereby increase the concentration of the remaining matrix by roughly 10%. Both batches spent five days cold soaking before they were allowed to warm up into natural fermentations. Fermentation temperatures were kept below 26 degrees Celsius. After another ten days on the skins, the wine was gravity drained and the skins basket-pressed to 52% new French oak 225L barriques, where we inoculated for malolactic fermentation. We then allowed the wine to further evolve for 18 months before a light filtration and the eventual bottling.

Tasting Notes
Where the 2021 spoke in a cooler register, the 2022 vintage steps forward with confident ripeness and immediacy. The nose is vivid with black plum, mulberry, and cassis, while subtler threads of coffee bean and cedar recall its Bordeaux lineage. A single swirl unravels layers of graphite and warm spice, underscoring the depth of the warmer season. On the palate, the redfruited drive of Constantia gives way to darker, fleshier tones, carried by tannins that are generous yet sinewy, lending a distinctive texture. Saline minerality remains true to site, though here it serves more as a grounding counterpoint to the vintage’s richness than as a source of tension. The finish is expansive and assured, its generosity balanced by poise, hinting at both immediate charm and a confident future in bottle. Pair with grilled Springbok spiced with juniper, thyme and rooibos.

About Beau & OAD
In 2019, the Scotts and us founders of OAD went on a trip to South Africa and was absolutely blown away by the experience we had at Beau Constantia. A borderline 10 out of 10 dining experience at the vineyard just outside Cape Town. More importantly, they also had a retail outlet of their pretty sublime wine. Not only great tasting notes, but also unreal value, which has since been an undefeated champ in our wine fridge over the past years. As we needed to restock our supplies, we learned that the great people over at Beau had yet to have a distributor in Hong Kong, so we entered a partnership based on our shared affinity of great wines and good times.