Vineyards
Situated on the Teakle property in Port Lincoln, 2 km from the foreshore, with 150 meters elevation. The soils are a rich combination of sandy loam topsoil overlying a friable red-brown clay loam subsoil. The moderately warm summer temperatures and maritime breeze allow perfect ripening conditions in the vineyard. The long sunshine-hour days encourage even ripening of the grapes, while the gentle breeze helps cool the bunches, retaining the beautiful natural acidity.
Vintage
The 2021 ripening season on the Eyre Peninsula was very mild, with a cooler than average summer. There was little summer and late spring rainfall but the mild temperatures allowed for a long even ripening period. The yields were well below average, so the grapes ripened earlier than normal for the variety. The Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon were machine harvested on the 11th March, in the cool of the morning.
Winemaking
The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were picked and destemmed, without crushing the berries. This allowed a small amount of whole berry fermentation. The must was pumped into an open 4 tonne stainless steel fermenter for co-fermentation. After alcohol fermentation was completed, the must was pressed off in an open basket press, drained into 300 litre French Oak Hogshead barrels and malolactic fermentation allowed to take place, with approx. 30% new oak and up to 4 year old oak for the remainder.
Tasting Notes
Fresh aromas of blackcurrant, mulberry and dark fruits, with some earthy, black olive notes. It is a medium bodied wine, with the Merlot giving it a soft, juicy mid palate, and the Cabernet giving more dark fruits and structure. The oak supports the palate structure and has a slightly toasty finish, with fine grain tannins. It is very approachable now, we have aged this wine slightly prior to release, so it is perfect to enjoy now or with short term cellaring.
Vegan friendly