The Encounter – An unexpected moment of significance that becomes a record of truth and promise.
Pippy, blackcurrant purity and freshness, supported by savoury notes of fennel, wet gravel stones, and damp earth. This is wine of method and purpose, but restrained by patience. Full-bodied, but fine-boned. Enjoy with roast lamb with hard, twiggy herbs (rosemary and thyme) and garlic, or just intense conversation.
Planted on sandy loam over scattered areas of red clay, this ‘back’ vineyard was totally reworked in the 2015 pruning season to cut out any Eutypa (known a ‘dead arm’ or ‘dying arm’, a slow growing fungus in the vine trunk), and go from permanent arm (spur pruning) to rod & spur (cane pruning). This means renewed one year old wood in each future growing season. The result has been dramatic. The 20 of the 3500 Cabernet vines lost to Eutypa will be replaced next year. Techniques have also been implemented to manage the vineyard to prevent further disease intrusion.
Cold-soaked, wild yeast with co-inoculation of mlf yeast, basket-pressed to French oak (30% new), no fining. There are whispers of McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek to accompany the main tune of dark blackcurrant and tapenade fruit.
95 points – Gold Medal – James Halliday Wine Companion
