Waterford Feuille Morte

Feuille Morte, French for 'dead leaf', is an autumn themed Micro Cuvée from Waterford, bottled in September 2022 with an outturn of 1,000 bottles. The release sits alongside Pique-Nique as a seasonal bottling in the Waterford catalogue, with head distiller Ned Gahan assembling Single Farm Origin distillates to capture a mood specific to the time of year. Every bottle carries the TÉIREOIR code linking to the individual farms and cask records behind the blend.

Maturation used the Waterford standard combination of first fill American oak, virgin American oak, premium French oak and Vin Doux Naturel casks. First fill Bourbon contributes vanillin and coconut lactones through the charred inner wood. Virgin American oak adds toasted sugar and raw lignin derived spice. French oak delivers finer grained tannins with clove phenolics. The Vin Doux Naturel casks, previously used for fortified sweet wines from southern France, add oxidised fruit esters and concentrated sweetness. Bottled at 50% without chill filtration or added colour.