Growing Conditions

Winter of 2017 was typically wet and windy. Chardonnay was the first variety to
experience bud burst in late August, followed by the Riesling and Cabernet through September. Flowering in all
varieties was approximately ten days earlier than in vintage 2017. Conditions in spring were generally mild, with the usual showery and sunny periods resulting in excellent set across most varieties.

Temperatures throughout summer were warm, with very few hot days. Veraison occurred two weeks earlier than in 2017. 2018 was a spectacular year for flowering of the local Marri trees, which kept birds away from the ripening vineyards.

An excellent vintage with standout varieties being Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon

Harvest

Harvest commenced in the Riesling in the middle of February, followed by Chardonnay a week later and Sauvignon Blanc in the first weeks of March. Shiraz and Cabernet harvest commenced in the last week of March and into the third week of April. After early leaf removing across the fruit zone to let in the sunshine, and thinning of fruit where necessary, the reds were able to hang well into a rain free April. The slow Autumn ripening allowed Shiraz and Cabernet to develop intense and vibrant fruit flavours with excellent tannin ripeness.

Bottling

BOTTLING DATE 10 Dec – 12 Dec 2019

Winemaking

Fruit was fermented in both open and closed fermenters with 20% being whole bunches to enhance vibrancy and lift. Ferment vessels were plunged and pumped over daily and the wine run to new, one and two year old barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wine underwent malolactic in barrels and after six months the various components were blended and matured in French barrels for a further twelve months. After assemblage the wine was fined and readied for bottling.

- Fining: Egg white

Aging

- Barrel Maturation Time: 18 months
- Toast Level: Medium and medium plus

Nose

Dense, dark and intense nose, rich with blueberries, mulberries and plums. Sweet perfume lift provided by violets and five spice. Further complexing notes of blackpepper, camphor, mushroom and gameiness increase the bandwidth on the nose.

Palate

Capacity, dimension and texture outline the palate. A matrix of blueberries and redcurrants feature through a background of dark chocolate, cracked coffee bean and tobacco. There is overall energy on the palate highlighted by a vibrant and youthful acid line, finishing with structural chalky tannins.

Appearance

Brilliant, bright colour with hues of crimson and purple on the fringes.