December, when the vines were in flower, was the coldest and wettest in over a century. This resulted in an exceptionally low crop of grapes “setting” and thus giving the wine special concentration and depth. At the start of January the berries were lagging behind in their development. The rest of the summer and autumn were warm and dry which enabled the grapes to catch up, ripen perfectly and yet retain fresh vibrant fruit flavours with good levels of acidity.

After harvest, the whole berries were gently pressed to extract the juice, which was then allowed to undergo natural fermentation by the action of the grapes’ wild yeasts. Some sauvignon blanc was fermented in stainless with the remainder and all the semillon was fermented in old barriques. Subsequently the wine was matured on it’s yeast lees to help it develop mid-palate texture and weight. It was then carefully blended, according to taste, the sauvignon blanc being 70% and the semillon 30%. The wine was bottled after harvest.

The sauvignon blanc gives aromas and flavours suggestive of passionfruit, lychees, paw-paw, guava and tropical spices while the semillon adds elements of yellow plums, greengages and dried herbs. These are supported by hints of musky Turkish spice and wisps of gun-smoke. The wine has generous palatal weight, but remains tight and focused with a crisp citrusy finish and a lingering after-taste. While it is ready to drink on release it can be expected to become increasingly complex with careful cellaring, the sauvignon characters becoming more subdued and refined while the semillon becomes more expressive with citrus, lanolin and toasty nuances.

Wine is a natural health food.