Blueprint Syrah

Handpicking into 20 kg crates. Destemming and lightly crushed directly into small open top fermentation tanks. 15% whole bunches included. Spontaneous fermentation @ max. 30deg. with the cap of skins punched down manually twice a day for an average of 16 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from basket press. Malolactic fermentation in the barrel.

40% from our home Mont Fleur vineyard 393m above sea level. 17 year old vines SH470, 174 on 101-14 rootstock. Decomposed granite with sandstone rocks. 30% from the neighbouring Keermont vineyard. A north east facing block. 22yr old vines on a vertical trellis, clone SH9 on 101.14 rootstock. Soil deep red clay and iron rich, medium potential, decomposed granite. Yield 5 tons / ha (32 hl/ha). This is the last vintage from this vineyard which has been uprooted. The balance from two other younger Keermont blocks: "Steepside", similar to above decomposed granite hillside vineyard and "Sweetwater," a stony alluvial soil that delivers a little lighter, lovely aromatic aspect. A relatively easy growing season with moderate weather throughout, following a cold wet winter. An exceptionally warm early spring ensured a successful budburst and flowering with good even shoot growth. Above average rain at the end of October kept soil moisture optimum during the later hot summer. Gale force winds in January caused damage to some of our exposed mountainous vineyards, reducing yield a little. An excellent early harvest with full bodied, generous wines with intense, complex fruit flavours.

20 months maturation in old barrels. Bottled by hand unfined (vegan) and unfiltered.