THE SEASON

A mild spring and a warm summer and early autumn produced beautifully ripe fruit. Rain in the late autumn encouraged a little noble botrytis that has given the wine extra richness and concentration while still allowing it to clearly express its spectrum of natural varietal flavours.

THE VINEYARD AND VINES

The French clone of muscat (muscat à petits grains), from which this wine is made, was grown in stony, freely draining soil. This terrain accumulates the heat by day and then releases it during the night, aiding the ripening of this Rhône Valley varietal. Crops were modest, assuring good ripening.

THE HARVEST AND WINEMAKING

The ultra-ripe grapes were hand-picked and then gently pressed. The juice fermented very slowly and it took almost a year for this process to complete. It was then bottled almost immediately to help preserve its exciting muscat characters.

THE WINE

On release the wine is a star bright lemon hue. Its voluptuous aromas and flavours speak of tropical spices, Turkish musk and the tantalising, heady, sweet but indescribable perfumes of an oriental bazaar. Big-boned, mouth filling and rich on the palate, its muscularity is balanced by an off-dry finish and impressions of crushed root ginger that linger on the palate well after swallowing.

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