Nose
Ripe cherry and plum fruits with chocolaty influences.
Palate
The palate displays good depth of fruit concentration, ripe sweet
fruit fleshiness in the mid palate and good flavour extension.
Growing Conditions
2016, what a sweet vintage for Margaret River grape growers.
Following a good winter was a mild and calm spring with generally good
weather during the crucial flowering period, that is the stage at which the
flowers are fertilized and begin to form individual grape berries. This stage can
often be quite wild and stormy leading to significant loss of fruit. The beginning
of summer was mild, almost perfect growing conditions. There was a small rain
event in January which may have caused consternation had it continued but it
was mercifully brief leading to several months of virtually rain free weather.
March was mild, with perhaps only three days of intense heat, ideal conditions
for the development of the red grapes, with harvesting beginning middle of
March through to the middle of April. The weather broke in late April but by
then the vast majority of reds had been harvested. Good colours, ripe aromas
and flavours and good structural tannins across all red varieties.
Winemaking
Shiraz from selected premium Margaret River vineyards
were used to make this wine. Fermented in open stainless steel tanks with twice
daily pumpovers aiding fruit tannin development. Maturation in new, 1, 2 and 3
year old French oak for 12 months encouraged wine development and structural
complexity. The objective was to produce an elegant Shiraz with complex aromas
and characters and with texture and structure, the use of French oak instead of
traditional American oak gives rise to a wine of greater sophistication.
Appearance
Vibrant youthful brilliant hue of good depth.
