IN THE VINEYARD... Sourced from our XO vineyards located at the far eastern margin of the Harcourt Granodiorite, a large body of granite that outcrops most proudly as Leanganook (Mt Alexander), undulating in all other directions and offering a myriad excellent vineyard sites with diverse aspects, elevations and microclimates. Our southern site was planted between 1999 and 2004 by Greg and Helen Miles and includes Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Schioppettino. The northern site was planted in 2003 to Syrah, Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

We have worked with Riesling and Syrah from Metcalfe since 2015, made varietal expressions since 2017 and took over the farming of the vines in 2019. Frosts, wasps and late rains have derailed our hopes on more than one occasion and are a persistent challenge every growing season. Systemic herbicides and pesticides were removed from the farming cycle in 2019 as we moved to a more regenerative viticultural model, incorporating compost teas, fish and kelp emulsions into our spray program and fertigation. Early undervine cultivation was employed to break up soil compaction, followed by heavy undervine compost/mulch applications to bring balance and life to the soil. We regularly conduct soil sampling to ensure we are heading in the right direction with our approach to improving soil health. All vine work year to year is done by hand, including picking.

IN THE WINERY…. Sourced from 14 rows of north-south planted vines from our more exposed block, planted in shallow basaltic soils of granitic sands. Hand-picked, destemmed and fermented with natural yeast in open pots over 3 weeks. Fairly extractive approach here with regular pump overs and later plunging. This fruit was pressed after 3 weeks and matured in seasoned barriques for 12 months, racked, sulphured and rested in tank for another 12 months. The wine came together and was bottled under Diam 10 Origene cork in Autumn 2024.

IN THE GLASS…. Medium bodied, with generous red-blue fruit of cassis and blueberry, dusty tannins and brambly herbaceous lift. Certainly not dense and broody, with plenty of drive and aromatic lift whilst still embracing you with ripeness of fruit/tannin. As with the Syrah, a wonderful intro to ripe table reds from our farm.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON - GRANITE - ORGANIC - WILD YEAST - UNFILTERED