Nose
The aromatics are bright and complex with dark chocolate covered black cherry, toasted coconut, black forest berries and fig. The nose unfurls to reveal hints of sea salt, spearmint, cayenne and cardamom overlaying intricacies of dried pot-pourri and rich Christmas cake.
Palate
The palate bursts forth with ripe juicy black fruits of cherry and plum, with streaks of raspberry coulis entwined with fresh tobacco and mocha notes. The tannins fan out framing the fruit with good integration carrying mid palate sweetness through to a long, fine, yet firm finish. The subtle smoke and toast of the oak give a dark forest floor character.
Growing Conditions
Heavy winter rains recharged soil moisture levels and led into a calm settled period for fruit set to give moderate crop levels. The season was warm in November progressing growth but developed into a cooler ripening period from January through March allowing enhanced flavour and physiological (tannin) development. The huge Marri tree blossom kept the birds occupied allowing the grapes to ripen in perfect health and full balanced maturity.
Harvest
The fruit for this wine is sourced from our original block of bush vines, planted in 1974 at the western edge of the Wallcliffe Vineyard, together with a small parcel planted by our founders close by. Trellising is a hybrid bush vine with training wires and all operations are conducted manually throughout the season as this fussy variety requires enormous care, although it remains one of the team’s favourite ‘unruly children’. We conducted extensive shoot thinning plus removed the shoulders of the bunches to enable disease-free perfect ripening.
Winemaking
After destemming and a very light crush, the must was allowed to soak at cool temperatures for several days prior to fermentation to naturally rehydrate the raisins - so typical for this variety. The wine steadily fermented to dryness prior to basket pressing directly to oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and maturation. We used around 50% new oak with a combination of origins (French (50%), American (25%) and Hungarian (25%)) and blended in a touch of Shiraz to accentuate spice and complexity, with a total of 20 months ageing.
Appearance
Deep, bright magenta with dark plum edges.
Food Pairing
We suggest matching this wine with grilled, thick cut lamb chops and rosemary smashed potatoes, or a fresh homemade spaghetti topped with either slow cooked bolognese ragu with veal and pork meatballs, or, with slow cooked eggplant, olives and capers. Another wonderful pairing is with a gluten-free chocolate cake made with 70% cocoa drizzled with a dark berry coulis, or a simple bowl of wild forest berry fruits of mulberries and blackberries topped with triple cream and a sprinkle of sea salt.
