Deen Vat 1 Durif 2009

Region
South East Australia (86% Riverina, 13% King Valley)

Appearance
Deep crimson with intense inky purple hues.

Bouquet
Lifted spice and chocolate aromas with savoury oak.

Palate
The intense fleshy palate displays rich, spicey fruit with well balanced firm tannins.

Vintage Conditions
The lead up to the 2009 harvest in the Riverina was one of the best on record, with refreshing rains during spring and mild December temperatures. This lead to fruit with flavour intensity and acid structure not seen for a few years. This all changed at the end of January with an unprecedented heat wave of plus 40 degrees for 14 days which saw ripening stall for 3 weeks. Overall the vintage was good to excellent.

Winemaking
Fruit was selected by the winemaker and picked when both flavour and Baume were optimum.

Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol: 13.50 pH: 3.45 TA: 6.40

Cellaring
Enjoy now or cellar for up to 5 years.

Suggested Cuisine
An ideal accompaniment to rich red meat dishes or hearty casseroles.

General Characteristics
Dry Full Bodied

"Durif is a funny beast of a grape. It has such thick, black-purple skins, it ripens so easily to high sugar levels (which translate, of course, to high alcohol) and is so jam-packed with flavour that most producers instinctively turn it into a massive, impenetrable brute of a wine. Thankfully, this durif isn't like that: a couple of years in bottle have tamed the monster, turning it into a full-bodied but savoury red with plenty of fruit and firm but supple tannins, crying out for pasta and a rich ragu."

Max Allen, Gourmet Traveller Wine, March 2012

"Simply because of its volume of flavour, durif really should be near the head of the alternative varieties. Has familiarity bred contempt? Brightly coloured, it has textbook dark chocolate and plummy fruit, with fragrant violet perfume to the bouquet. The palate is ripe without taking on the least bit of heaviness. It's been excellently put together, and is terrific value for the price. It's an all-purpose, any time, anywhere red."

James Halliday , 1001 Wines Under $20, 2012, December 2011

"This bargain-basement red shows just how viticulturally adaptable durif really is. It's wine of clear definition and pure fruit flavours that would go extremely well with a decent steak and kidney pie."

Peter Bourne, Gourmet Traveller Wine, December 2011

90 Points
"Bright colour; textbook dark chocolate and plummy fruit, with a fragrant violet perfume to the bouquet; ripe without taking on the least bit of heaviness, excellently put together, and terrific value for the price."

James Halliday, Wine Companion 2012, August 2011

USA
86 Points
"Medium garnet-purpled colored, the 2009 Deen Durif gives intense aromas of freshly crushed mint and eucalypt oil over cassis and blackberries. Medium-bodied with a medium level of chewy tannins, it has a good amount of refreshing acid enlivening the concentrated if straightforward fruit, finishing long."

Lisa Perotti-Brown, eRobertParker, May 2011

4 Stars

"DURIF seems ideally suited to the warm Riverina. The De Bortolis were
pioneers of the variety in the region and the results are impressive. Vat 1
is a deep, dark young wine with choc-mint, berries, vanilla and tar aromas. It tastes ripe and robust with lots of juicy fruit mid-palate,
good body and soft, balancing tannins".

, The Age , March 2011