Palate
Abundant, youthful and vibrant aromas of passionfruit, nectarine, gooseberry and blackcurrant are laced with elderflower and lemon myrtle. The palate of stone fruit, citrus and passionfruit pulp is overtly varietal and fleshy. Contrasting textures of lemon butter, chalk and citrus zest build mid palate weight and length. The flinty and fine acidity give a bright clean finish to the wine.
Growing Conditions
As the seemingly, never-ending vintage of 2017 came to a close in early May, we reflect on a most unusual season. The cold, wet winter and spring of 2016 with annual rainfall above the averages of the past decade, set the stage. Budburst and early spring growth were slow, and it became evident early, that the start to vintage would be delayed by 3 to 4 weeks. In addition, early yield estimates were above average. Anecdotes of the very cool 2006 vintage began to circulate as summer progressed in the same, mild fashion. The one bright light was the comparative data of heat summation between 2006 and 2017 with 2017 still appearing to be warmer. But were we heading for the perfect calamity of high yields in a cool, wet season? Fungal diseases began to thrive in the humid and cool conditions as the white harvest began. Careful fruit selection, removal and some early harvesting were necessary to retain quality. Across the regions, it was evident some whites would not reach maturity and would remain on the vine.
Winemaking
Each individual vineyard block is vinified separately. Most batches are cool fermented in stainless steel to maximize varietal character and fruit flavour. Special batches are hand-picked, whole fruit pressed and fermented in oak to add complexity and texture. After a light milk fining and filtration, the wine is bottled.
