The 2018 growing season began with a later then average budburst, and led into excellent conditions for flowering and set, auguring well for an even and good sized crop. However 200mm of December rain came and created an array of growing concerns, including large dense canopies and ensuing disease pressures. All hands on deck, removing unnecessary shoots, leaves and bunches in this time and a mild dry January-March saved this wonderful crop. The resultant fruit was ripe, balanced and the wines are approachable early with good prospects for long term cellaring. An excellent season of ripe, fresh flavours and understated power.

Brilliant very pale straw, some luminescent greens. The nose is highly restrained, subtle with hints of grapefruit, white peach, brioche and spice. The palate is poised, lively and full of purpose, charming balance of flint and fine creaminess. The earth derived pithiness is wrapped in powerful white peach fruit again and framed with zesty, frisky natural acids. Complexing very tight grain oak is in the background and ensures the structure and integrity of the wine is in place for at least 8-10 years in bottle.

On the 20th of February our grapes were handpicked from the low yielding middle and top part of our unique single site. The soil is more shallow, gravelly here and flavours are subtle, powerful and mineral/soil derived. After hand-picking, the grapes were cooled overnight then whole-bunch pressed the following morning. Pristine but very cloudy juice was then transferred with full solids to French oak barriques and puncheons (33% new). Indigenous fermentation in barrel lasted around one month and elevage in barrel 9 months. Around one third of the barrels were allowed to pass through malolactic fermentation to enhance the finished wines fine saline/creamy/chalky complex. The wine was blended with full lees kept and bottled with minimal filtration on November 13th, 2018.