Awards and Accolades

GOLD - Margaret River Wine Show 2016

89 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion
"A significant part destemmed for whole berries in static and rotary fermenters, one component co-fermented with 1% viognier, matured for 14 months in French barriques (15% new). The hue is still very bright crimson, although light, 1% viognier can work miracles; the wine sends the clearest possible message: drink me here and now - and be happy."

89 Points - Mike Bennie, Wine Front
"Lots of charisma, charm and drinkability here. Medium bodied red wine with mulberry and blueberry fruitiness in perfume, shows a faint earthy/mushroomy savouriness, pepped up with cola and sarsaparilla spice. In the palate, suede texture with faint ribs of tannin, soft, ample in flavour and darkish fruit concentration, good spicy finish. It’s got that ‘lovely’ feel. Good buying."

From the Winery

A relatively wet and windy spring affected flowering and fruit set, with the resulting yields slightly lower than normal. The growing season which followed was warm and dry with sometimes hot conditions around Christmas. Abundant Marri blossom kept bird pressure low early on, although vineyard teams were kept on their toes deterring birds late in the season. The warmer weather in the lead up to harvest saw flavour ripening accelerate with fruit retaining natural acidity and wonderful fresh aromatics. The whites picked at a frenetic pace however the weather cooled significantly during March which resulted in a hiatus in harvesting. The cooler conditions allowed time for the reds to achieve physiological maturity, culminating in great flavour and tannin ripeness when warmer weather returned in April. In summary, 2013 was another great Margaret River vintage. Fruit for this blend was predominantly grown in the southern, sub-regions of Margaret River; Wallcliffe and Karridale.

The fruit was destemmed and then crushed with open rollers to introduce whole berries into the ferment. The core components were fermented in both static and rotary fermenters at 26oC for 6 days (1 component was co-fermented with a small portion of Viognier to add spice and a floral lift to the wine). The various batches underwent MLF and 14 months maturation in a selection of fine French oak barriques (25% new oak in total) prior to bottling.