2015 Fratta Cabernet Maculan

The 2015 Fratta is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Northeast Italy, where hot summers cede to cool autumn days with steep diurnal shifts. This is a bold and very ripe red wine with robust, full-bodied appeal. The wine sits heavy on the palate thanks to its thick fiber and structure. It needs something hearty like grilled meat or roast lamb to move it along over the palate. The fruit sees a brief four or five days of so- called over-ripeness to achieve the density and thickness you get here. Like the other red wines from Maculan, the grapes are fermented in steel with punch-downs and seven days of skin contact. This wine then ages in new French barrique for one year. Some 10,000 bottles were made.