Nose

Ripe red and black berries, chocolate, spice, cigar box

Palate

Dark berries, complex spices, silky tannins, structural

Harvest

Excellent soil moisture from winter rains provided uniform bud break but was followed with wet, windy weather and an extensive bushfire in the area in November. Careful monitoring and a good dose of fortune meant the property was spared damage. Summer was one of the driest and warmest on record, resulting in early flavour development, clean, pure fruit and above average yields.

Winemaking

Hand harvested bunches were de-stemmed to retain as many whole berries as possible, then fermented separately in open and upright fermenters with regular, gentle pump overs or plunging. Select parcels were left on skins for up to 21 days before pressing. Matured as separate parcels in tight-grain oak with three monthly rackings to aid clarification prior to blending.

Appearance

Deep ruby with garnet hues

Food Pairing

Beef Wellington or nut-crusted roasted eye fillet