TASTING NOTES

A beguiling combination of rich fruit, savoury spice and earthy depth, this wine is at once powerful and refined. The palate is full-bodied, with concentrated dark berry fruits leading the charge. There are layers of black pepper, herbs and seamless French oak. The tannin is assertive, round and flawlessly fine. This is a wine of rare sophistication that will develop gracefully over the long term.

SEASON

Shiraz was the variety to shine in a challenging vintage throughout most of Victoria. Unsettled weather in spring affected fruit set in early-ripening varieties but low yields and small bunch weights benefited the mid-ripening Shiraz. There was considerable variation throughout Victoria, vindicating our approach of blending wines from different regions. 2014 will be remembered for Shiraz wines of elegance, balance and heady aromatics.

WINEMAKING

Each parcel of fruit was vinified and matured separately to maintain the integrity of each site and provide optimum choice at blending. The fruit was fermented in temperature-controlled open fermenters and was hand plunged. The wine was matured in Sirugue barrels for their ability to bring out the best in spicy, full-fruited wines and a small selection of other coopers were used for added complexity. The key stage of blending began about nine months into the journey and many hours were spent at the tasting bench seeking a perfect harmony in the many elements that together make a truly great wine. The result is a uniquely balanced wine that slowly reveals its story of the place it was grown, the season it lived, the barrel it rested in and the hands and hearts it touched on its journey to you.

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