A long lingering Indian summer allowed us to leave the fruit on the vine until late in the season, producing well ripened grapes with bright fruity aromas and flavours. We used traditional Claret winemaking methods. Primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentations were by the grapes and indigenous microorganisms and the wine was matured in French oak barriques for two years.
 

On release the wine has a bright calamine hue with lively aromas and flavours suggestive of purple fleshed plums, cassis and blackberries. There are additional underlying impressions of wood smoke, cigar box, spice and dark chocolate. It is generous on the palate with a seam of velvety tannins which fill out its structure and draw out the lingering aftertaste.

A La Nina pattern in the South Pacific produced an excellent season. The hand selected fruit for this late harvest riesling, which was grown in mineral rich stony soil, had at least 30% beautifully raisined botrytis. It was fermented at low temperatures, a portion being by the action of the fruits indigenous yeasts in large old oak vats..

On release the wine has a bright lemon hue. The aromas and flavours suggest lemons, limes, nectarines and peaches, with a hint of passionfruit. It is rich and powerful in the mouth but yet remains elegant, tight knit and focused. There is a spine of minerality and crisp acidity which flow through the palate and draw out its length. While ready to drink on release it can be expected to develop a further array of characters with careful cellaring, especially those suggesting mandarin, orange and apricot .

Warm days, but cool nights and 3 months of perfect weather prior to picking produced wonderfully ripened grapes with good natural acidity.  They were grown in stony, mineral-rich ground which has given the wine an additional tanginess.  Fermentation was carried out at a cool temperature to help retain the vibrant fruit flavours.

The generous bouquet and flavours are suggestive of ripe apples, lemons, limes, nectarines and white fleshed peaches.  With careful cellaring, it also should develop a range of other characters, including impressions of mandarins and orange marmalade.  While it is full flavoured and concentrated, the wine is also elegant and refined with a spine of fine acidity and zesty minerality which flow through the palate and draw out its length in a crisp off-dry finish.

Wine in moderation is a natural health food

This was an excellent vintage pinot noir with modest crop levels of beautifully ripened fruit, which has given the wine excellent depth and concentration.  It was made entirely naturally using traditional Burgundian methods, without the addition of any micro-organisms.  It was matured in French oak barriques for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.  Prima Donna is made only in special years and it is a selection of barrels which best reflect the vineyard and the vintage.  Typically it comes from vines of at least 25 years of age.
 
On release the wine is a deep crimson shot with lingering hints of purple.  It is redolent with suggestions of ripe red-berry fruits, wild cherries and blueberries.  These intertwine with whiffs of barbequed meats, grilled mushrooms, wood-smoke, dark chocolate and vanilla pods.  Although the entry is soft it seems to rapidly expand in the mouth to become rich, powerful and muscular.  In spite of this it retains refinement and poise with a long robe of velvety tannins, which flow through the palate and help draw out its lingering, spicy, tangy after-taste.

This was an excellent vintage pinot noir with modest crop levels of beautifully ripened fruit, which has given the wine excellent depth and concentration.  It was made entirely naturally using traditional Burgundian methods, without the addition of any micro-organisms.  It was matured in French oak barriques for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. 

On release the wine has a deep carmine colour.  The bouquet and flavours evoke impression of black cherries, purple plums, blackberries and raspberries.   Beneath these is a savoury underlay of black olives, liquorice, grilled mushrooms and proscuitto.  There is a dense core of ripe fruit which is coated with fine-grained, velvety tannins.  It is robust, but refined and savoury/spicy overtones linger in the after-taste.  Although it is ready to drink on release, with careful cellaring it will become more complex and multifaceted over the next 6-8 years and live well beyond.

A cloudy summer followed by beautiful autumn proved to be excellent for riesling. We selected only the most perfectly raisined botrytic berries to make this wine in the style of an Alsatian Selection des Grains Nobles or a German trockenbeerenauslëse.

 On release the wine has a bright lemon gold hue.  It is packed with impressions of yellow fleshed peaches, apricots, guavas, lychees, fresh figs and honeycomb. The palate is rich, luscious and unctuous but there is a lively minerality and acidity which course through the wine and prevent it from being cloying.  There is a long lingering aftertaste.

This was an excellent season for these Bordeaux varieties with a warm summer and a lingering dry autumn. We used traditional Claret winemaking methods. Primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentations were by the grapes’ own indigenous microorganisms and the wine was matured in French oak barriques for two years.
 
The wine: On release the wine has a deep ruby colour. The aromas and flavours suggest purple plums, blackberries, cassis and blueberries. There are also savoury overtones of liquorice, black olives and cigar smoke. There is an initial impression of plush fruit on the palate but then the wine expands to become big and muscular with a backbone of velvety ripe tannins that flow into a long lingering chocolatey finish.

Wine in moderation is a natural health food

Low, but well balanced crops were harvested at optimal ripeness.  This traditional French blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon was fermented by indigenous yeasts and then aged sur lie, the semillon component in old French oak barriques.

This traditional French blend has aromas and flavours of citrus fruit, passion-fruit and greengages, with a hint of dried herbs.  The low crop levels have particularly emphasised the semillon component in the wine, filling out the palate and giving good concentration as well as structure.  It has a crisp, dry finish and a lingering after-taste on the palate.  While ready to drink on release it should develop additional layers of complexity with careful cellaring over several years.

We used traditional Burgundian methods in making this wine, including natural spontaneous primary and secondary (malo-lactic) fermentations in French oak puncheons (30%new) and maturation for 20 months before bottling.  Modest crops and an ideal growing season have given the wine excellent fruit expression.  Virtuoso is made from a barrel selection and typically comes from vines on their own roots that are a quarter of a century old.

The bouquet and flavour evoke impressions of nectarines, white fleshed peaches, yellow plums and rock melon, coating a core of citrus fruits. These intermingle with hints of toasted hazelnuts, marzipan, breakfast cereal, liquorice and black olives. The wine is concentrated and powerful in the mouth but stays quite restrained and refined.  The lingering aftertaste is drawn out by lively minerality and tangy crispness.  While ready to drink on release, with careful cellaring it should become more complex and integrated over the next 5 or 6 years and last a decade or more.