Marsovin’s Grand Maître 2015, ‘Annata Fra Nicolas de Cotoner’, is to be released on Tuesday. This is the 18th vintage of the prized Grand Maître, produced from grapes grown in Marsovin’s Private Estate – Għajn Riħana.

The Għajn Riħana estate, which spans over 1.6 hectares, is between Bidnija hills and Wardija. The vineyard is densely planted with 14,000 vines of two noble French grape varieties, made up of equal quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The arid land and clay-rich, calcareous soil provide a tough growing environment for these vines. The yields from this estate generally produce very concentrated full-bodied wines of intense fruit and aromatic character. Following vinification, the unfiltered wine is aged in new oak barriques for over 12 months in Marsovin cellars prior to bottling.

Marsovin’s Grand Maître is a wine dedicated to the Grand Masters of Malta by special appointment to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Each vintage is dedicated to a Grand Master in chronological order, the first one being Philippe Villiers de L’Isle Adam for the 1998 vintage. This year’s vintage is dedicated to Fra Nicolas Cotoner, the 61st Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta.

A premium blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is what makes Grand Maître. The 2015 vintage climatic conditions were characterised by an abnormally cold winter spell and good rainfall, especially during January and February. Summer started off with a prolonged heatwave from the end of June to early July, followed by a sudden decrease in temperature, to below the average after a storm in the first week of August.

Overall, these conditions contributed to a significant delay in reaching the optimum grape maturity which resulted in the latest harvest date in the history of this vineyard and a slightly lower harvest yield in comparison to the yields obtained in the previous two years.

The resultant wine portrays the typical characteristics of this vineyard, being an already very approachable and pleasant wine characterised by its typical fruity bouquet, velvety smooth tannins and new oak nuances.

Grand Maître is available in wooden boxes of six and three bottles, as well as single bottles being offered in an exclusively designed presentation box.

For information and orders of Grand Maître, call the Marsovin cellars on 2366 2445 or e-mail cellars@marsovinwinery.com.

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