A cold and wet winter allowed the vines to replenish themselves and provided enough water to survive the growing season without irrigation –almost unheard of in Australia in the past twenty years. Early spring (September) brought further rains and higher than average temperatures. The vines drank and grew! The fruit set was outstanding, and we looked forward to good and even ripening. October and November were cooler than average, the coldest since 2003, which allowed the grapes to ripen slowly, developing extraordinary complexity and fruit character. Summer was warm but with cooler than average nights, which again gave the vines an opportunity to rest and build acidity and structure.

Early autumn (March) was warm, and the grapes reached full maturity 4-6 weeks later than 2015, almost to the average harvest date of 20+ years ago.

The upshot of this is a vintage that was allowed to develop slowly and is one of fruit ripeness balanced by excellent acidity and structure. The white wines are sure to be full and rich with great minerality and freshness, while the red wines will have that important and much sought after balance between ripe fruit, tannin, acidity, and alcohol.

The fruit was destemmed and transferred into a concrete steel tank where it was kept cool until fermentation started naturally. A 4-5 week maceration allowed for maximum color and the tannins to soften.

The Grenache was aged in concrete tanks for 12 months. The Touriga Nacional and Shiraz were matured in a combination of new and old oak for 12 months. At the completion of the maturation the blend was assembled to enhance complexity.

Vineyards planted in a mixture of clay, siltstone, quartz and shale on a deep, iron rich subsoil requiring minimal irrigation.

Grapes: 40% Grenache, 35% Shiraz, 25% Touriga
Alcohol by Volume: 14.5%
pH: 3.7
Total Acidity: 5.22 g/L
Vegan Friendly