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.
Such a pretty wine, full of rose petal aromas and tropical fruit flavours – lychees, melon and a citrus finish.
We are not supposed to have favourites but we are going to struggle not to drink this one all ourselves! As in previous years we have made this in a dry Alsace style from our 40+ year old estate vines.
Natural acidity keeps the wine fresh and interesting, at higher alcohol levels Gewurztraminer can unfortunately become oily and flabby. Ours at 10.5% alcohol has kept this lovely balance between flavour and acidity.
Stock is unfortunately very limited of this wine – yields were down, perhaps lingering effects on the vines of the terrible drought last year.
“Old World” style pinot—a beautiful robust wine with bright raspberries, dark cherry fruits and a spicy earthy undertone. Hints of violets and dried herbs in the bouquet.
Vintage notes This fruit was picked in early March in the cool of the morning. It was destalked, gently crushed and allowed to undergo a cold soak for four days before being inoculated with a cultured yeast. About 20% was fermented in whole bunches—this is where fermentation is allowed to occur inside the berry. All of these techniques contributed to complex flavour development and aromatics. The wine was pressed to a mixture of new and older French oak casks for 12 months maturation.
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.
A stunning example of a cool climate Shiraz, aromatic floral lavender nose, pepper, spice and opulent blackcurrant and plum flavours underpinned by balanced French oak. Fine tannins will continue to soften with age.
Vintage notes
As in 2017, this Syrah is a blend of two different blocks of Shiraz vines on the property—our grafted Shiraz vines and the vigorously growing vines directly outside the cellar door. Both are carefully tended to by Ben. The fruit was selectively handpicked, with any green or damaged bunches being left on the vine. The fruit was processed immediately onsite and transferred to a refrigerated tank to undergo a 2 day cold soak prior to fermentation. Fermentation occurred in open fermenters with daily plunging of the cap to ensure maximum colour and flavour extraction. The wine was then gently basket pressed to French oak barrels and allowed to mature for 16 months.