Deep purple in colour. The nose shows intense complex cedar, blackberry and blueberry aromas, with a hint of peppery spice. On the palate it develops powerful, full-bodied berry fruit flavours with decidedly funky earthy notes. Restrained tannins and acidity coupled with rich alcohol produces a seamless, velvety, harmonious whole. Winemaker's choice.

“The 2005… is a saturated purple. It presents an impressive nose of wood smoke, lavender, Asian spices, plums and blueberry that jump from the glass. Layered and opulent on the palate, it has loads of flavor, good balance, and a long fruit-filled finish." Robert Parker, 2009

A good vintage. Winter rains replenished soil moistures and allowed near perfect budburst and flowering. Mild to warm conditions over summer, reminiscent of 2002, with a few days of extreme heat resulted in generally even ripening. Rapid accumulation of sugars meant a short vintage - spectacular levels of flavour and higher than usual alcohol. Yields were down around 15% but the overall assessment was very high.

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. It was neither fined nor filtered so that the integrity and depth of flavour could be maintained.

• Silver (Best In Class) / IWSC 09
• 94 Points / Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
• 93 Points / Stephen Tanzer’s IWC 09