Handpicked. 7 days of cold soak pre fermentation, followed by a short hot ferment of 3-4 days while being hand plunged 3 times daily. Hand plunging reduced to once daily while on skins post ferment. The wine was not inoculated, relying on the vineyard yeast, and was pressed out to taste from 18-20 days. A mix of Burgundian coopers used, 25% new oak. The wine underwent malolactic in the Spring and was racked, fined and filtered. Bottled May. Alc 13.5%.

VITICULTURE

First plantings: 2001, continuing until 2004

Clones: 115/777/667/5

Rootstock: Swartman 101.14 330.9

Plants per hectare: 2500 Row Spacing: 2.5m

Plant Spacing: 1.67m

Fruiting Wire: 1m

Spur pruning.

Trained to VSP.

Desired crop attained by shoot and bunch thinning.

7 irrigation zones allow for irrigation and fertigation to soil type and plant need.

The site’s hilly contours mean frost fighting is not required.

The canopy is managed by wire.

Harvesting time is controlled by the winemaker. Clones on individual blocks within the vineyard are picked and stored separately for later tasting and blending.

(2018)

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