• French oak
• Blackcurrants
• Bay leaf & chocolate
• Supple tannins

"Hard to go past this guy when it comes to vaule-for-money quality drinking. Oodles of ripe blackcurrant and dark, spicy plum character with a trace of bay leaf and lightly toasted oak. The palate is dense and rich with grainy tannin influence that cuts through the dark choccies and ripe black fruit richness. You can have something pretty bold with this if you wish" Ray Jordan, The West Australian, Jan 2022

Deep red with ruby hues. The wine exhibits vibrant, characteristic aromas of ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, and dark plums meshed with hints of bay and licorice and subtle spicy, toasty oak. The generous palate is packed full of juicy fruits of the forest, cassis and chocolate characters. Medium to full-bodied, the fleshy fruits are supported by moreish, supple and ripe tannins. A balanced wine, with a persistent fruit finish with beautiful regional savoury inflections of bay, black olive and licorice.

A red blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Shiraz, 3% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot grown in Western Australia. Fruit for this blend was predominantly Estate grown (86%) on our Boodjidup and Stevens Road vineyard in the Wallcliffe sub-region of Margaret River and complimented by fruit sourced from mature vineyards in the Wilyabrup and Treeton sub-regions.

The growing season began with a late budburst after a relatively cold Winter with reasonable rainfall. The cool spring which followed resulted in some uneven flowering and fruit set, and generally lower than average yields. We experienced a significant (and unusual) rain event midJanuary which was timely due to the later season, and this was followed bysome fine, mild weather to get vintage underway. There was a complete lack of Marri blossom leading up to and during harvest which meant that bird pressure was extreme! Bird-netting was vital this season. There was a minor rain event coupled with high humidity mid-March which presented some challenges requiring careful fruit selection with some white varieties; however, this gave way to some beautiful weather right through untill late April.

The fruit was crushed and destemmed then fermented in a combination of rotary and static fermenters at 26°C for 5–7 days. A portion of the blend was left for a period of extended maceration on skins followed by a gentle pressing adding plushness and a savoury, textural element to the wine. The various batches underwent MLF in tank followed by 14 months’ maturation in a selection of French oak barriques (20% new).