The grapes were grown in stony soil in the hottest part of our vineyard and we vinted it using the traditional methods employed to make the red wines of Bordeaux. 

The merlot has given the wine beautiful plum and purple peach fruitiness, while the cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc have added cassis, tobacco and spicy ethereal notes.  The palate entry is deceptively soft, but the wine expands in the mouth to reveal a broad framework of ripe tannins, that draw out its length and support a lingering after-taste.
Wine in moderation is a natural health food

Warm and dry conditions prevailed during spring and early summer so that we became concerned the vines might be affected by drought.  Luckily we had a brief torrential downpour in February which set the dry streams gurgling merrily and replenished the groundwater reserves.  The rest of the summer was excellent.  Although we had humid conditions in late autumn we had earlier removed some leaves from the fruiting zone to allow good ventilation so the crop ripened beautifully and remained perfectly healthy.

We only make Finale in special years and 2008 was one of these.  The spring and early summer were warm and so dry that we were concerned the vines would become affected by drought stress.  Fortunately a brief, torrential downpour in February removed this possibility and the rest of the summer was excellent.  Humidity in late autumn caused a small amount of beautifully ripe chardonnay to develop noble botrytis.  We hand selected these raisined grapes to make this wine.

The spring and early summer were warm and very dry.  A brief torrential downpour in mid-February staved off a looming drought and the rest of the growing season was very good for pinot noir.  The fruit was well exposed so that some intermittent autumnal humidity was handled without difficulty and the fruit was beautifully ripe and clean when picked.

Warm and dry conditions prevailed during spring and early summer so that we became concerned the vines might be affected by drought.  Luckily we had a brief torrential downpour in February, which set the dry streams gurgling merrily and replenished the groundwater reserves. The rest of the summer was excellent.  While we had humid conditions in late autumn we had exposed the fruit to the sunlight so it  ripened beautifully and remained perfectly healthy.

The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves.

The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves.  Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling.  Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.

Spring and early summer were exceptionally dry and we felt the vines would be adversely affected by lack of water.  Then the unexpected happened.  We had a downpour in mid-February which set the dry streams gurgling and recharged the ground water levels.  After this the vines had enough water to keep them happy until harvest. 

The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves.  Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling.  Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.

The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves.  Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling.  Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.