TASTING NOTES
Bright ruby with purple tinges. Inviting bouquet of red berries, violets, and rose petals, with herbal thyme and earthy minerality from the Bellarine terroir. Medium-bodied, showing blackcurrant, plum, and green pepper notes, supported by supple tannins and lively acidity. Long finish with herbal persistence and a mineral edge.
VINIFICATION
Hand-harvested on March 19, 2024, destemmed whole berries were soaked in open-top fermenters for five days and fermented over eight days. Matured in aged oak for ten months before racking and bottling in April 2025.
VINTAGE 2024
After an unusually warm and dry winter, the growing season started 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. Ample Spring rainfall and moderate temperatures were welcome, which evolved into an extremely dry summer, assisting the ripening process, producing higher than average yields but preserving full flavours and acidity.
VITICULTURE
Soils: Eocene/Holocene Dermosols of loamy clay and sand.
Varietals & Clones: Cabernet Franc (C7V15) on own roots.
Aspect/Planted: North-south orientation, planted in 1997-1998.
Vine Density: 2222 vines/ha (3m row width, 1.5m vine spacing).
Canopy Management: Vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellising with cordon-trained two-bud spur pruning.
Yield: 2 tonnes/acre. Harvest: Hand-harvested on 19 March 2024.
