The second ever vintage of our flagship Syrah is a brooding and complex wine. Dense fruits of the forest abound, with nuances of mocha and smoky oak revealing themselves on the palate. Its richness and firm tannic structure should allow for extended cellaring.

“Sexy aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, violet and vanilla custard, complicated by spicy oak. There’s big time oak going on, but also plenty of ripe, luscious dark berry fruit that verges on liqueur-like. Fat, broad and sweet on the finish, the oak spice coming up stroing. There’s clearly great material and sex appeal here…” Stephen Tanzer, 2005

Windy conditions and the worst drought in 100 years brought down potential yields - after the heat, heavy rains in February caused wide-spread berry splitting. Fortunately steady breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent helped to prevent any onset of disease in our vineyard. In the end, despite the lower yield, the fruit showed great flavour intensity and colour, and after time in oak the wines continued to impress well above early assessments. A vintage to watch.

Winemaking is very traditional and labour intensive. Small batch fermentation took place in open top fermenters, following which the wine was matured for a period of 18 months in a selection of the best French and American oak (approx. 35% new). It was neither fined nor filtered so that the integrity and depth of flavour could be maintained.

• Silver Medal / Royal Sydney Wine Show 03
• 92 Points / James Halliday Wine Companion 2006