V21

Barossa Syrah

Tommy Shiller, a notorious wine grape grower of the Barossa Valley produced something special here is a very tough year. Super light, semi barrel fermented Syrah. 100% de-steamed berries were fermented in stainless steel tank with minimum allowable pump overs/punch downs. Free run was racked at 3 baume (minimal extraction) straight to 2 neutral French oak barrels for barrel fermentation. Skins were basket pressed straight to a similar barrel where she went through malo and slept. The result, a lean, approachable Barossa Shiraz without the dreaded over extraction.   

• Bottles produced: 1,466
• Potential alc – 13.6%
• Delicate, forward fruit with compatible tannin structure
• Bottled: January 2021

V20

Mclaren Vale Chardy

After working this site and witnessing how beautiful these vine were, I had to have the fruit. Site is nestled up on Wickhams Hill in between Kangarilla (Adelaide Hills) and McLaren Flats (McLaren Vale). Technically, fruit is McLaren Vale. Picked at 11pm on a cold Wednesday night and driven back to the Barossa to chill over night. De steamed fruit was whole berry pressed (reserved extraction) early morning to stainless steal tank and allow to settle for 24 hours with no additions. Juice was raked to the following

• 1 x 400ltr new un-toasted French oak barrel – free run. 100% barrel fermented.
• 1 x 400ltr 1 yo toasted barrel with toasted heads – free run. 100% barrel fermented.
• 2 x 2 yo barriques. 1 free run, 1 pressings. 100% barrel fermented.
• 500lts pressings racked to stainless steal tank.

Post fermentation, the free run barrique was used to top 400ltr barrels with lees spared. Tank pressings were used top the barrique so pressings would sit on free run lees. Intention is to let all barrels go through malo with tank stopped prior to malolactic fermentation. Juice is still at 20gms residual sugar so it’s been a long, slow formation which is perfect.

• Approx. 2 tonnes
• Potential alc – 13.5%
• Rich and textural

Barossa Valley Rose Wine – La Adeline (Mourvedre 50%, Grenache 40%, Cinsault 10%)

Fruit was sourced from the local lads at the Valley Hotel from three sites, all located in Vine Vale Barossa Valley on the Valley floor.
Mourvedre – Fruit was hand picked early in the morning to ensure fruit was cold. Raced back to the winery and put in the fridge for 24 hours, de-stemmed, crushed and on skins for 90min. Racked to tank to settle for another 24 hours then 100% barrel fermented in a neutral French oak puncheon. Juice had linier and balanced acid with length so the decision was made to not let this component go through malolactic fermentation. No additions with pH landing at 3.4pH.  Grenache, Cinsault - Co fermented fruit from Vine Vale. Hand picked, de-stemmed, crushed and pressed immediately to stainless steel tank to sit for 24 hours. Racked to neutral French oak puncheon and 100% barrel fermented. To get that lovely mouth feel and roundness, we chased the sun to get this conferment through malolactic fermentation. No additions so pH post malo finished up at approx. 3.5pH – perfect for blending and finding that middle ground.  Both barrels were racked off lees when dry to minimise lees contact and blended.  

• Wild fermented
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 12.5%
• Fruit forward, balance between crisp and textural with hints of peach.
• Bottles produced 1,596
• Bottled date 25 August 2020

Langhorne Creek Sangiovese – La Eleanor

Method is somewhat consistent with V19 with a twist. Fruit was sourced from the same single vineyard Marendoo site however picked slightly more mature (.02 Baume to be precise). Baume was similar this year on pick date, however tannis and flavours were riper. The result, consistently fresh and bright with additional fruit and tannic grip. Fruit was put through the de-stemmer, fermented as whole berries with ferment being minimally worked for extraction. Basket pressed at 1 Baume, settled and fermented dry in stainless steel tank and post malo, racked to two neutral French oak puncheon’s to sleep.  

• Wild fermented and basket pressed
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 12.6%
• Rustic, fresh with cherry on the nose – Pizza worthy
• Bottles produced 1,248
• Bottled date 25 August 2020

V19

Adelaide Hills Chardonnay - La Justina

Woodsides (Adelaide Hills) master piece, the Bowew Lees vineyard. Impossible to find a better site, soil profile and viticulture practices. Unfortunately, this gem however was lost in the Adelaide fires.

• Wild fermented
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 14.1
• Bottles produced - 950
• Pleasant ripe apricots, pears, generous, yet still refined with touches of stone fruit and citrus. 888 bottles produced (splashed out and did some magnums too) – Bottled February 2020 unfined and unfiltered.
• Bottled date January 2020

Barossa Grenache - La Gilliana

Returning from another wonderful vintage in Jura France, I came back to the Barossa to check out my Grenache block pre-vintage. In my absence, the vines had been pulled out due to their low yielding mutirty. This vintage is the last of these heritage Grenache vines. Again, hand picked by Nev, grapes came in perfect for 100% whole bunching. Bunches when through 3 week of carbonic maceration and were gently foot stomped. Pressed to stainless and neutral french oak for malolactic fermentation.       

• Wild fermented
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 13.8
• Bottles produced - 1,800
• Black cherry, a little raspberry and white pepper spice. 1,104 bottles produced (couldn’t resist doing magnums) – Bottled February 2020 unfined and unfiltered.
• Bottled date January 2020

Langhorne Creek Rosé - La Francesca

Grown by my viticulturist hero/uncle rusty, hand picked 21yr old vine Dolcetto on sandy loam soil. One third barrel fermented (neutral French oak puncheon) with 60% sent through malolactic fermentation (non inoculated). Remaining 800ltrs open fermented in stainless steel tank.  Chilled whole bunches for 24 hours, destemmed and crushed with juice macerating on skins for 45 mins. 45 min press cycle and wild fermented. Fruit was spotless so minimal sulphur and chiller before crushing. Handpicked 24 Feb.  Total 1,350 lts

• Wild fermented
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 12.9
• Bottles produced - 1,800
• Pomegranate, rosehip and violets on the nose with texture, length and mouth feel. Fruit forward but pleasantly dry.
• Bottled date July 2019

Langhorne Creek Sangiovese - La Elenore

Rusty does it again. 22yr old Sangiovese vines on beautiful sandy loam soils. No additions apart from minimal sulphur, allowed to cold soak for 6 hours and wild fermented in small format stainless steel tank. Basket pressed to tank. Post 100% malo (non inoculated), racked to neutral French oak puncheon (2013) and tank for 3 months. Barrel blended with 1,000litres tank tank., 100% malo, picked 8-9 March, not much stem cos of machine harvest, but noticeable on palate.

• Wild fermented
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 12.7
• Bottles produced - 2,300
• Cherry, blueberry and spice. Classic rustic Italian edge and subtle tannins. Dry and fruit forward.
• Bottled date July 2019

V18

Barossa Grenache

One vineyard in a million throws fruit like this. Super old vines, unirrigated and never been sprayed. Hand picked by the man himself – Nev Pfeiffer…with a knife, grapes came in right on point with beautiful full bunches and ripe stems. Berries looked and tasted light and delicate, stalks slightly yellow so this one was 100% whole bunched. Berries sat in tank with CO2 for 2 weeks and then were gently foot stomped and not over worked. Pressed to stainless once baume was approximately 1 for malolactic fermentation. Post malo, 300ltrs was racked to neutral French oak with the remainder racked to VC.        

• Wild fermented
• No vineyard spraying
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 14.7%
• Black cherry, a little raspberry and white pepper spice
• Bottled date November 2019

Barossa Mataro

Staying true to our minimum intervention, sustainable production ethos, our Mataro was born from a single vineyard site just north of Tanunda consisting of exceptionally sandy soils. The unirrigated site has meant the 40 year old Mataro vines have had to search deep, long and hard to access the nutrients required to flourish in the Barossa sun. The result…a balanced, unmodified natural wine demonstrating the true characteristics of the prodigious varietal Mataro. This unfiltered, minimal sulphur Mataro takes inspiration from the French region of Rhône, however incorporates a 2/3 whole bunch twist and has been basket pressed to allow for a slow and subtle extraction.

• Wild fermented
• No vineyard spraying
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Alc – 13.8%
• Licorice, leather, plums, firm tannins, Chinese five spice, musk, blackberry.
• Bottled date November 2019