Millennium

The blend for this wine consists of Merlot (66%), Cabernet Franc (25%), Shiraz (6%), and Petit Verdot (3%). Some grapes were hand-harvested, while others were machine-harvested and sorted. Handharvested grapes were sorted again in the cellar before whole berries were transferred to stainless steel fermentation tanks. Fermentation occurred at 25 – 30°C, with regular pump-overs.

The season got off to a good start, with normal bud burst, flowering, and fruit set. Initial shoot growth was slow but accelerated later, especially after early December rains, which also increased disease pressure. The berry set occurred earlier than usual. Analyses of the early grapes were positive, although there was a sudden drop in acidity for some of the later grapes. The intensity of flavours is excellent. The 2023 season will be remembered for heavy rainfall in March, which particularly affected the later red grapes. Most of the grapes for this Millennium were, however, harvested before the rain. Each vineyard has a unique macroclimate and grows on a wide variety of soils. Different clones are represented. All vineyards are trained according to the Perold system and managed to achieve perfect balance in leaf coverage and fruit load. The various terroirs result in distinctive grapes from each area, so each contributes uniquely to the wine’s flavour and structure.

Each component was aged separately in 300-litre French oak barrels for 12 months, before the components were blended and filtered.