in the vineyard : Viticulturist: Wayne Gabb
The trellised vineyards are planted in northwesterly, sea-facing blocks on the lower reaches of the farm in sandy, gravelly and highly weathered soils with a clay substructure. Pest and disease control is managed according to IPW standards, while stand-by irrigation is adopted. The range of soils and variety of clones planted, have contributed to the complexity of the wine.
in the cellar : The handpicked and hand-sorted grapes were de-stemmed and crushed into stainless steel tanks, fermented over 7 days, reaching a peak temperature of 27° C. The juice was pumped over every 3 hours for 25 minutes at a time. On completion of fermentation, the wine spent a further three days on the skins for optimal colour and flavour extraction. The free-run juice was then drained off and the skins pressed gently. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally. The wine was transferred into small 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fill French oak barrels, where it spent 12 months. After racking, the wine was given a gelatine fining and gentle filtration before bottling.