2008 Shiraz
Our 2008 Shiraz comes from some of our oldest vines on the estate located on the gravelly hill block above the winery. We joke that this hill is our "Hermitage", a tongue-in-cheek reference to the spiritual home of the syrah grape.
Ninety percent of the grapes were destemmed (but not crushed) then fermented in open top tanks for around a week; the remaining 10% comprised whole bunch grapes. We used a variety of cap management techniques, including foot treading, plunging and pumpovers, up to three times a day during peak ferment then once a day for the remaining days of fermentation.
The old patch and several smaller batches went through malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine was matured in a combination of new French oak (20%) and older American oak barrels for approximately 15 months before being blended with about 2% of viognier which we believe gives the wine an intriguing aromatic lift and enhanced palate suppleness.
The wine was bottled in August 2009, approximately 100 dozen produced.