Somos Wines Tintito Red Blend 2021 750ml

Tintito is designed to be a savory yet fruit-driven Mediterranean style red. High drinkability and juiciness being the key factors the Somos boys looked for. This is a mystery red blend from Ben and Mauricio, though sitting down with Ben over a few beers got the cépage and vineyard sourcing out of him! While the blend changes every year, the 2021 vintage saw the addition of Uva di Troia for the first time, which brings another layer of complexity to the blend, with a beautiful backbone of chalky tannin. The aim here was to create “a wine driven by primary berry fruit, savory spice and acid line…a textural light red,” according to Mauricio. Mission accomplished! The fruit was hand-harvested from various sites throughout South Australia. The Grenache from a single vineyard in McLaren Vale, the Meunier and Mencía from the Adelaide Hills and the Uva di Troia from Riverland.

The fruit was kept separate to ferment, with different varieties getting different treatments. The Meunier, Mencía, and Grenache saw some whole-clusters, while the Troia saw some extended maceration. Fermentation occurred in open-top fermenters without any additions and the lots were gently macerated for 7-30 days before being pressed to finish fermentation in old French oak barrels. After six months of aging and without any additions the wine was blended to tank and settled naturally before being bottled without fining or filtration and with just a small addition of sulfur.