Chateau Oumsiyat – Sauvignon Blanc, Bekaa Valley – 2018

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Passion and heritage has been passed down through the Bou Sleiman family for four generations. When Joseph Bou Sleiman took over the reins at Château Oumsiyat, he blended respect for local tradition with modern techniques to craft contemporary wines. A passionate vine grower, Joseph also built a modern winery in the village of Mtein, where he creates wines that are a fusion of Old World and New World. The grapes are grown in the 78 hectare vineyard, situated at over 1,000 metres elevation in the beautiful Bekaa Valley, between Mount Lebanon to the west and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains to the east. The altitude, microclimate and soils combine in this ancient terroir to produce fresh wines with a very Mediterranean “feel.”

THE VINTAGE:
2018 was characterised as an early vintage. Low rainfall during winter was followed by hot, dry conditions in the summer. The dry, warm weather helped keep the vineyard disease free and produced grapes with good concentration of fruit. The vintage took place earlier than average years, with the vines producing fruit in excellent health and with good phenolic maturity.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
The vines are planted at an altitude of 1,000 metres above sea level, where the warm days are tempered by cooler nights. The summer diurnal temperature difference is 20°C, which encourages an extended ripening period, concentrating the flavours and aromatic complexity in the berries, while retaining balancing acidity from the cool nights. The soil is calcareous clay which is a cool soil that has good water retention properties to nourish the vines during the hot, dry summers. Due to its pH, calcareous clay soils tend to produce refreshing wines, which encourages further balance to the ripeness of fruit. The vines are cane pruned and are planted at a density of 4,000 vines per hectare. The vineyard is cultivated with respect for the environment and the grapes are manually harvested at optimal maturity.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The grapes were carefully sorted to ensure healthy and ripe fruit was vinified. The grapes were pressed and the must was racked and fermented with selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of between 14 and 16°C. Malolactic fermentation was prevented in order to maintain the crisp, fresh style. The wine was aged in stainless steel vats for three months on its fine lees to impart subtle complexity, before being gently filtered prior to bottling.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
A refreshing wine with notes of lime and green apple leading to a zesty, citrus palate with a mineral note on the finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Sauvignon Blanc 100%.