Growing Conditions
Margaret River experienced moderate to high rainfall throughout Winter, with continued moisture into Spring and early Summer restricting flowering and fruitset. Sporadic rains in mid to late Summer slowed red ripening and led to slightly longer hang-times. It was a challenging year in terms of bird pressure, owing to a lack of marri blossom in surrounding bushland. Quality was high overall, with whites and reds displaying super-fine structure, impressive elegance and minerality. Very low yields make this a vintage to be valued.
Winemaking
Picked in the early hours of the morning, our Shiraz fruit was destemmed directly to the fermentors as whole berries, resulting in slower and more controlled extraction of tannin and greater retention of fruit based aromatics. A cool ferment on skins for 14 days was followed by a gentle pressing straight to barrel. The wine was matured in a combination of French Oak barriques and puncheons, 30% of which were new, and underwent bâttonage every 5-6 weeks. After 10 months in oak, the wine was lightly fined prior to filtration and bottling.
Aging
Museum release available from the winery
