Winemakers:
Hamish Clark & Kyle Thompson
Block: 22
Region:
Foot of the Wither Hills in Dry Hills Estate, south east of Blenheim.
Terrior:
Soils: Deep, vigour-moderating clay.
Topography: Flat, even land.
Climate: A relatively warm site, with high diurnal temperature change.
Viticulture:
The fruit was carefully monitored during ripening and harvested in the cool of the evening at maximum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness. The grapes harvested were 100 per cent clone 667.
Winemaking:
The fruit was harvested when it reached full physiological ripeness and maximum flavour maturity. At the winery, the fruit was held cold for five days prior to fermentation to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. A specially selected yeast was used to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must be hand plunged up to six times daily at the peak of fermentation. At dryness, the wine was pressed, then racked off gross lees to a mixture of 22 per cent new French oak and older seasoned 225-litre oak barriques.
During maturation, the barrels were regularly tasted until the right balance was achieved (10 months). During the time in oak, the young wine completed malolactic fermentation. The wine was then carefully extracted from oak, blended and prepared for bottling.
