Produced from our 40+ year old estate vines.Crisp green apple, flinty minerality, lime cordial on the palate with a sherbet lemon finish. It was so lovely to be able to make this wine again this year. We’ve had an excellent track record with this vineyard and this year was no exception – the vines flowered and cropped beautifully and the fruit was of excellent quality. Flavour development was excellent but rain did halt sugar accumulation so we made the decision to pick this fruit at lower sugar levels than we have in previous years. The result is a beautiful lower alcohol wine at 10.5% with a gorgeous nose of citrus blossum and jasmine and bursting with intense citrus flavours. View Product Info
This wine is a true labour of love, handpicked fruit, handmade wine, bottled and labelled by hand, corked and dipped in wax to seal it. For this wine we always allow a select parcel of Shiraz grapes to partly shrivel and raisin on the vine. After being handpicked the fruit is partially fermented before the addition of neutral grape spirit known as SVR – Spiritus Vini Rectificatus. This neutral spirit allows the rich Shiraz fruit flavours to take centre stage. 24 months in an older American oak barrel integrates the spirit and wine and adds a hint of vanilla oak without overpowering the delicious sweet fruit. A perfect wine to enjoy in front of the fire this winter.
One of two Riesling styles we made this year. Produced from grapes sourced from Four Winds Vineyard down the road, it has lovely juicy peach and pear flavours underpinned by citrus acidity
With stock so low after losing most of the crop in 2020 we decided to source additional grapes outside of our vineyard and were fortunate to secure a wonderful parcel of Riesling fruit from the Four Winds vineyard just 3km down the road.
We decided to make this in a slightly different style to our Estate Riesling. It was picked a little later and riper which gives it lovely peach and pear flavours and a fuller palate.
Drink now or cellar for 10 years if you like aged Rieslings. Consider pairing with mushroom risotto, roast chicken or spaghetti carbonara – the acidity pairs really well with rich creamy dishes.
An exciting new style for us. Fresh and crisp, this is a beautiful example of how delicate and refreshing Rosé can be when made in a drier style. Citrus, strawberry and sour cherry flavours complimented by apricot and rose petal aromas.
Made from a combination of Merlot and Shiraz grapes sourced from our own estate vineyard and some Sangiovese grapes from the Mullaney vineyard at Hilltops. The Mullaney’s are actually relatives of Ben’s, so its still all grown by the family! Harvest was challenging due to the threat of storms but we were able to pick all of our desired fruit just in time, mere hours before it poured with rain for days!
This rose has been made in a drier style, through the maceration method. This method is the most complex way to produce a rose as the colour and flavour is obtained from controlling the amount of contact the juice has with the skins. Its not an exact science and relies more on the art of the winemaker as even an extra hour of contact will change the flavour of the wine significantly.
Beautiful lavender and cedar aromas complimented by a silky palate of juicy plums, cherries, black pepper and a lingering finish with a soft tannic grip.
Vintage notes
The 2018/19 vintage was characterised by hot and dry conditions which led to minimal disease and fantastic grape quality. Summer’s extreme heatwaves placed some stress on the vines but frequent thunderstorms increased soil moisture and thankfully the storms did not bring any hail to damage the fruit. Cool nights in February gave the vines some rest from the heat and slowed down ripening.
A 2 day cold soak prior to fermentation and the inclusion of 30% whole bunches in the ferment ensured maximum colour and flavour extraction. Co-fermented with 3% viognier (also grown at the Vintner’s vineyard). The wine was plunged daily by hand to extract maximum flavour and colour from the skins. The grapes were pressed in our stainless steel basket press to a mixture of old and new French oak barrels and allowed to mature for 14 months.