Vineyard location:                           
Southern Heathcote 
 
Viticulture:                                        
Bush vine planted in the 1940’s with four to six shoots per vine, Original “Rhone” clonal material from a vineyard planted in 1891 in Heathcote.
300 meters above sea level.
Natural sustainable organic viticulture practiced since 1958.
 
Soil Characteristics:                      
Very deep low fertile alluvial/granitic sands with ironstone over clay.
                                                          
Oenological Data:                           
Harvest Beaume – 13.6
Total acidity – 7.37 g/L
pH – 3.37
Alcohol – 14.0%
 
Production:                                      
200 dozen
 
Winemaker’s Notes:                       
Grown from very low yielding vines planted in 1940’s low fertile Granitic soils on a slight northerly & easterly gentle slope in the southern aspect of Heathcote. The fruit was harvested at optimum balance, ripeness and intensity of flavour. The fruit was destemmed; berries not crushed or pumped to preserve their physical integrity and transferred to an open 4000 L wooden vat. Maceration times (mainly pumping over) for 30 days on skins and was naturally fermented. The wine was aged in new and used French Tronçais 18 months.  
 
Tasting Notes:                                
Complex savoury spice (bay leaf and coriander), truffle and white pepper on the nose with complimentary fruits blueberry, dark chocolate, plums, and ripe cherries with an earthy and brambly note. This is a very powerful wine with typical earthiness and chewy, fleshy texture. The finish is persistent with fine tannins and a fabulous balanced acidity. Very young and youthful with fully ripe tannins. Classically structured, this wine offers lovely drinking now but will improve over the next 5 to 10 years. It should then mature slowly for many years hence. 
 
Cellaring:Up to 10 - 20 plus years