Colour: Ruby Red
Aroma: Mocha on the nose. A spice odyssey with cinnamon and cardamom along with dark plums.
Palate: Raspberries and peppercorns exude from this cooler seasoned Shiraz. Underlying sweet spices of nutmeg and vanilla bean with berry coulis comes through supported by a fine soft tannin structure. An elegant medium bodied Shiraz with depth and varietal characteristics.
Production: 217 dozen
Technical Data: Alc. 14..0%
Review: “A lighter and most elegant shiraz from a vintage that was conducive to this style of shiraz. The usual hands-on approach was used to gently handle the fruit before maturation in a mix of barriques and puncheons to keep the oak influence to a minimum. Aromas of dark plummy fruits, with a liberal sprinkle of spices and little black pepper. Smooth and seamlessly structured. Cellar 7 years.” 92 Points, Ray Jordan Wine Guide
Viticulture: The vineyard is grown naturally using organic biological principals. Employing seaweed and fish emulsion foliar fertilisers plus elemental sulphur and copper sprays for disease prevention. Nothing is wasted, grape must is composted, mulched and mixed with manures then returned to the vineyard floor. Cover crops of clover, peas and rye grass are grown between the vines which provide nitrogen and green mulch. Canopy management is vital, hedging and leaf plucking are used to control exposure to sunlight and further our effort to deliver perfectly ripe, balanced grapes to the winery.
Vintage 2021 Rating 8/10: After a very dry 2020 winter bud break was early for all varieties. Spring was wetter than average so protection from disease was critical with timely applications of organic sprays when the weather permitted all the way to December. Finally the sun came out at the right time to accelerate ripening of the lower than normal crop load. This was a blessing as harvest approached significant rain events occurred. Hard work in the vineyard opening the canopy for air flow and small crops got all varieties to optimum ripeness with pristine fruit. Marri Blossom was late and netting was required to stop bird damage.
Vinification: The grapes were picked in the cool of the morning on 25th March. Placed open fermenters. inoculated with a Rhone yeast and the cap hand plunged up to four times a day. Delestage, the gentle extraction of phenolic compounds by oxygenating the juice, took place over two days to enhance flavour and build structure. After 8 days, the primary ferment finished and the wine was kept on extended skins for a further fourteen days. Post maceration the must was drained and basket pressed off to tank where it underwent a malolactic fermentation which helps soften the acid. The wine was then racked into 50% new and one and two year older French barriques and puncheons, then left to mature for 18 months. Blended and bottled in November 2022.
