Matured in a combination of French and American oak hogsheads this classically styled Clare Valley Shiraz displays a totally opaque inky black crimson colour with dark crimson black tinged hue. Luscious ripe blackberry and liquorice top notes exude from the glass followed by some dark chocolate, vanillin oak and a faint hint of spearmint as an endnote. Rich and full-bodied the palate features a plush flavour profile of ripe blackberry, dark plum and liquorice over some spearmint and vanillin oak-like characters. Velvet smooth tannins with long blackberry, liquorice, spearmint and vanillin oak aftertaste.
The fruit for this wine comes from un-irrigated, hand-pruned and hand-picked vines grown at Skillogalee around 450m above sea level. The wine was vinified in open fermenters and then basket-pressed. No fining was needed. Malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation and maturation took place in predominantly French oak hogsheads for around 24 months, before the separate components were blended and bottled.