Nose
Clean, bright and perfumed with spice, pepper, aniseed, chocolate, plum and
boysenberry. There is a lifted violet-incense perfume with underlying cedar
oak.
Palate
Plump and textured with soft fine tannins. The suave and seductive palate
shows pepper, milk chocolate, aniseed, plum and boysenberry. This rich, ripe
and juicy wine is ready for drinking now.
Growing Conditions
Fruit is sourced from neighboring properties in the northern sub-region
of Margaret River (Yallingup). Meticulous management of bud numbers
and shoot thinning ensured a balanced canopy for the crop to be ripened.
Particular attention is paid to sourcing fruit from the well regarded gravelly
soils of northern Margaret River. The 2016 vintage saw some late summer
rain during the veraison period (colour change in berries). This had minimal
effect on the grapes with the following warm conditions allowing the fruit to
fully ripen with minimal disease pressure.
Bottling
Maturation in tank and barrel lasted 16 months before the wine was carefully
blended and bottled. Sealed under screw cap to retain freshness in a burgundy
bottle.
Winemaking
Each parcel of fruit was gently crushed into small open fermenters with
traditional heading down boards where fermentation was carried out under
controlled temperature conditions. Around 5% whole bunches were added
to the fermenter before filling. Extraction was achieved by daily draining of
wine away from skins and returning back over the top. The wine was pressed
to tank after 7 days on skins where 50% was sent to new and older french
barriques to complete the primary and malo-lactic ferment. A small portion
of barrels were left on full lees where they were stirred fortnightly to add
texture and complexity.
Aging
Portions of old and new French oak for 15 months.
Appearance
Deep red with purple hue.
Food Pairing
Traditional Australian BBQ or veal scallopini with sage.
