10% whole bunch fermentation, indigenous yeast, approximately two weeks on skins. 12 months in French hogsheads (20% new). The best barrels were blended, then bottled in January, 2019.
Whole bunch and whole berry fermentation, 20% new oak. Cola, cherry, beetroot and spice aromatics lead into a savoury and complex palate featuring fine tannin and well-integrated oak.
‘There’s a fair amount of wildness here in that it’s slung with sap and herb notes but it’s also taut, controlled and lengthy; for all the frolic it feels confidently handled. That said, let me be doubly clear: this is a sappy style. It has tangy acidity, stem-like notes, tangerine and red cherry, earth and an aspect of rhubarb. It’s all these things but it’s also cohesive. Cedarwood oak slips around and helps combine it all. It can be enjoyed now but its best will start from a couple of years hence.’ 94 points. Campbell Mattinson, winefront.com.au, November 2021.
