Vineyard location:   
Decomposed granitic loams over yellow-red clays on the Central Victorian region.
 
Vine Age: 
Planted 1950
 
Oenological Data:   
Harvest Baumé – 14.0 Be
Total acidity – 6.8 g/l
pH – 3.50
Alcohol – 14.0% alc/vol
 
Production: 
300 cases 
 
Winemaker’s Notes:
The fruit is from low yielding, dry grown vines planted in 1950 in a vineyard located in the flats near Shepparton in Central Victoria. The soils are deep granitic loams over clay. The fruit was harvested over a period of several days to using the biodynamic calendar for optimum balance, ripeness and intensity of flavour profiles. The fruit was destemmed; berries not crushed or pumped to preserve their physical integrity and transferred to a majority of open 4000 L wooden vats. Fruit handing during fermentation involved mainly pumping over for a period of 40 days on skins which was naturally fermented. The wine was aged in a small percentage of new, the majority being French oak for 24 months to preserve the natural fruit characters these old vines had to offer.
 
Tasting Note:
Very deep vibrant red colour with a slight vibrant hue, the aroma has intense lifted ripe red and black fruits avoiding any over-ripe elements. Hints of black pepper spice, citrus rind and savoury notes lead to a palate that complements the aromas, rich and round with intense, juicy and chewy fruit, framed by soft but persistent fine tannins and a touch of French oak. A lingering, balanced mineral acidity finishes a complex wine representing the classical terroir in a moderately warm year. Although the wine is rich, it shows a focused structure and will therefore continue to develop with further bottle aging.
 
Cellaring:  15+ years