Maturation
18 Months in large and small oak.
Vinification
The Syrah comes from the Sexton and Tarraford Vineyards, the Carignan
and the Grenache are grown at the Tarraford Vineyard.
The Syrah is predominantly the Red Dog 67 clone that we have propagated
from our original block 2 vines – that clone is unique to Tarraford and
carries a special perfume.
Each variety and parcel is fermented separately in small open vats with
varying degrees of whole bunch and whole berry fermentation, before being
matured in large and small oak for 18 months.
The final blend was completed in the Spring of 2021 and left in tank to
settle and come together until bottling just before Christmas, by gravity, no
fining, no filtration.
This blend is inspired by the band of fresh delicious early drinking reds
being produced in the cool regions of Australia.
Range Notes
The Yarra Valley range is made from handpicked fruit from our estate
vineyards. The wines are produced using indigenous yeasts, gravity-flow
winemaking, with minimal fining and filtration.
This approach produces highly expressive wines, true to the regional
characteristics of the Yarra Valley.
Vintage Notes
2020 was a particularly challenging vintage across much of Australia, but
we were very lucky here in the Yarra Valley.
It was a bit of a rollercoaster - with a cool, wet Spring, a dry December and
then a mild February, punctuated by a few significant rain events... Harvest
weather was moderate and stable as we went into a classic Indian summer.
The Syrah, Carignan and Grenache were highly perfumed, rich and ripe.