Sanctum – Red barrel, 2018

Time to return to the Podbukovšek family, to taste their expression of Syrah. We’re tasting Sanctum‘s Red barrel, which indicates a Syrah produced in the best vintages that matured in oak vessels.

Sanctum’s Red barrel is a rarity produced from Syrah, only in the best vintages, by a strict selection in the cellar, or to put it correctly, this is the wine that meets the criteria of being bottled as a single barrel wine.

Usually, most of the wine ferments and matures in small casks of Slavonian oaks, while the remaining third is fermented in French barriques for 12 months to form this final assemblage.

Red barrel boasts a clear, ruby red colour with a translucent edge and dense texture.

Its bouquet is intense, with a fruitiness in the foreground, masterfully enriched by woody aromas. Notes of cherry, plum, blackberry and violet play with the scent of pepper. A slight note of chocolate and carob introduces sweet spices that are reflected through cinnamon and cloves.

The taste is intense, soft, but above all refreshing and tannic. Its tannins are rounded and act velvety—a wine of pronounced elegance, full body and a lasting aftertaste.

A wine for trying where the bottle will easily last for the next seven years and more. A bottle will cost you approximately 40 Eur, and you can order it at Mabat Int, Deliz and Mimovrste.