Winemaker Notes
The grapes for this wine were picked from forty year old vines growing on the red basalt volcanic clay of our Timbervines Vineyard. With an average yield of only one tonne per acre the fruit for this wine was intensely concentrated in flavour. The drought vintage coupled with our use of 30% of the juice for our saignee has increased the concentration of this wine. The grapes were picked at full ripeness and were fermented under cool conditions using cultured aromatic yeast. After fermentation the wine was placed in older oak hogsheads for a period of eighteen months to allow it to soften and mature without gaining overt oak characters. The wine was bottled in January 2008
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Most admired for citrus-driven, mineral-rich and often age-worthy Semillon wines, Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and was home to its very first commercial vineyards. The region’s warm summer nights coupled with autumn cloud cover and cool sea breezes allow full ripening and healthy acidity levels for Semillon; its diverse soils of volcanic basalt and white alluvial sands promote the development of Semillon’s delicate aromas. Hunter Valley Semillons can certainly be enjoyed in their youth but with 10 to 20 years in the cellar, the best examples develop intriguing notes of honey, browned butter and roasted nuts.
Chardonnay and Shiraz also do well in Hunter Valley.