Vintage 2021
BAROSSA VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

VINEYARD NOTES
The vines are grown on brown loam over red clay soil and enjoy some luxury in their age with soil health activities.  The vineyard is trained to a s Roseback Cordon system and detailed pruning gives better bunch positioning and a limited number of grapes per year.

HARVEST NOTES
After two consecutive dry vintages, the 2020-21 growing season started off in a similar fashion. Winter rainfall was 148mm, the same as 2019, however strong spring rains set up what would prove to be an excellent vintage. A warmer than average November again had many on edge, however mild days and cool nights throughout December and January provided optimal ripening conditions. Timely early February rains provided enough soil moisture relief to carry the vines through veraison and ripening. This rain and cooler conditions meant that the vintage was far less compressed than previous years and allowed excellent fruit development while maintaining natural acidity. Quality across the vintage was fantastic with great colour and lifted aromatics.

Fermentation takes place in open-top tanks with an average of 8 days on skins. Warmer ferment to enhance palate weight, twice daily pump-overs, full malolactic fermentation and 12 months maturation in predominantly seasoned French oak with 10% American oak for complexity.

TASTING NOTES
“It's richly fruited and enticing on the nose with blackcurrant, blueberry, floral, subtle tobacco and spicy oak characters, leading to an impressively weighted palate displaying firm structure as well as opulent mouthfeel. Delectably expressed with fine mouth-coating tannins. At its best: now to 2036.” - 94 POINTS, WINE ORBIT