Nose
Aromas of grapefruit, roasted nuts, white pear and orange zest.
Palate
A dense entry of apricots, nectarines and creamy French Oak, balanced by pristine lines of fine tannin, natural acidity and a quenching minerality on the finish.
Growing Conditions
The 2019 vintage required high attention to detail in the vineyard and highlighted the benefit of having four diverse vineyards across the Margaret River region. Weather patterns were inconsistent, presenting challenges in budburst and flowering throughout the winter and spring months. A lack of extreme temperatures in summer and autumn combined with leaf-plucking, shoot thinning and bunch thinning encouraged more even ripening. Nets were essential to protect fruit, with a lack of Marri blossom in the region to distract the bees and birds. The resulting low yields presented fragrant wines with succulent natural acidities.
Winemaking
The fruit is chilled and whole-cluster pressed to retain freshness and cultivate texture and structure. The juice is settled cold and racked after 2 days, harvesting only the lightest and most delicate grape solids to further aid in textural and aromatic development. The juice is barrel fermented in 40% new, 30% 2nd fill and 30% 3rd fill French oak barriques. 66% of the barrels are sulphured pre-malolactic fermentation, in order to further preserve fresh fruit aromatics and pure acidity. The other 33% are allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, developing both richer, bolder aromatics and textural elements. It is then aged in oak for 9 months and battonaged every two weeks to develop texture and additional palate complexity, after which the wine is removed from barrel, clarified and bottled.
Aging
Enjoyed for its freshness now, or cellar for up to 10 years for added complexity.
Appearance
Green with yellow tones.