Nose
Concentrated blue and black berries, with savoury notes of white pepper and star anise.
Palate
Rich and juicy fruits to the fore, with lots of berries and black currants. Balanced with savoury spices from time in the best French oak. There's mocha coffee notes, cinnamon and cloves. The palate has lovely weight and complexity. The silky tannins and acid work together to produce a wine with wonderful length. This wine definitely has that drinkability factor.
Growing Conditions
2016 started with mild spring conditions, which developed into a warm and dry start to summer. However, a tropical rain event in mid-January interrupted these lovely conditions. With this moisture came the challenge of increased disease pressure on the fruit. Despite this challenge, all fruit harvested was of exceptional quality, showing intense varietal characters.
Harvest
Picked in late February 2016.
Winemaking
The Shiraz grapes were de-stemmed and crushed before being inoculated with selected yeast strains and fermented in a small 5 tonne open fermenter. The must was mixed, by pumping over, twice daily during fermentation to keep the skins and juice in constant contact. Based on taste, the fermenting must was pressed once the perfect balance of colour, flavour and tannin extraction was reached. After the completion of primary fermentation, the wine was inoculated for Malolactic Fermentation (MLF), before being transferred into French oak barrels. With 20% new oak, the wine spent 18 months maturing in these barrels prior to blending and bottling.
Appearance
Cherry Red.
