Reviews: 96 Points Halliday 2021 Wine Companion
95 Points The Wine Front – Mike Bennie
Winemakers Comments:
2020 was a mild season with average rainfalls for most months, pushing our harvest dates into the second week of March.
After a dry start to winter we received good rain fall over late June and July, achieving soil saturation and a positive start to the growing season. Average rainfall continued through to Spring with a cooler than average temperatures though August and September. Luckily, October brought warmer than average temperatures with two record high days on the 24th and 31st with dryer conditions overall. Unfortunately, strong winds affected flowering in the vineyard and thus the yields. The warm weather continued into Summer with November being the hottest month on record. Growth in the vineyard was exceptional and produced lush canopies, protecting the fruit. Mid to late Summer however was generally mild with January and February receiving higher than average rainfall.
The mild summer delayed vintage by 2 weeks irrespective of the low yields. In some blocks the small crops were the reason we were able to ripen the fruit, with picking dates into the second week of April.
Overall, a challenging season to manage, irrespectively of the other issues of bushfires and lockdowns the country was dealing with. Even with the low yield (some blocks down 60%) we are extremely fortunate to have great (clean) wines from 2020 and are saddened by so many that weren’t as fortunate.
Harvest date: 12/3/2020
Baume: 11.7 bè
pH: 3.15
TA: 7.5
Soil: deep red volcanic / basalt
Elevation: 200m
Aspect: South
Clone: I10V1
Yields tons/acres: 1.3
Vinification:
Fruit is handpicked and gently whole bunch pressed. Juice is settled overnight in tank then gravity fed to barrel taking full solids. Fermentation occurs naturally in barrel. A range of French oak coopers and formats (300L – 500lt) with 30% new. Following primary fermentation, maturation continues on lees for 10 months. Malolactic fermentation is not encouraged. Wine is then racked, cold stabilized and filtered to bottle.
Winemaking Notes:
Great focus and purity from the 2020 vintage. Amazing acid structure gives great drive and adds a slight saline character to the wine. The reserve is slightly finer and more layered than the Estate showing more flinty characters and acid flavour. Really looking forward to watching this wine age and think a couple more years will make all the difference. Drink 2025 - 2035
Wine Analysis:
Production: 150 dozen
Alcohol: 12.8%
Ph: 3.04
Acidity: 7.5 g/L