Palate
The refined fruit notes of honeysuckle, pear drop and lime zest distinguish this wine’s southern Margaret River origin. Ripe stone fruit and bright citrus are deftly integrated with nutmeal, lemon curd, vanilla and meringue, after natural fermentation and time in oak. Restraint and length is further enhanced by a fine mineral texture and bright acidity.
Growing Conditions
vintage commenced amidst the devastating bushfires in the Harvey and Waroona shires. Whilst several hundred km to the north, such an event put all in the state on high alert. Across the temperate south west, the winter of 2015 was typically dry and mild. The spring, less blustery than preceding years and the start to summer, warm to hot - a promising start. As summer progressed, the early warmth suggested a rapid fire, short vintage. In the third week of January, this prediction was derailed by an unprecedented deluge of 65 to 90mm in one day. The rain proved more of a blessing than a curse, due to the dryness of the soil profile and the timing of the event. With verasion well advanced in late January, the native marri bloomed, keeping the birds otherwise occupied. The remainder of the vintage progressed with little weather distractions. In summary, the quality of the 2016 vintage is very good to great and the quantity close to average.
Winemaking
All batches are handpicked and cooled overnight in vented crates beforehand sorting and whole bunch pressing to extract only the finest free run juice. After minimal settling, the juices ferment naturally in a mix of French oak barriques, hogsheads and puncheons 40% is new. The separate parcels are matured on lees, in barrel for 9 months and may undergo malolactic. After blending, the wine receives minimal fining and filtration prior to bottling
