Vineyards
Sourced from two vineyards, 400m apart, at Scotsburn, 1.5 km from Mt Buninyong. The first is on a windswept ridge with 500-million-year-old Ordovician period soils. Part of an old seabed made up of clay and sandy quartz breccia along with sandstone, mudstone, and siltstone. The second is planted in degraded volcanic soils from Mt Buninyong between 50,000 and 80,000 years old. Locally known as chocolate soil, with approximately 35% basaltic gravel and rocks of various sizes. At 500m elevation, warm days are followed by cold nights that always ensure high levels of natural acidity.
Growing Season
The 2020/2021 growing season at Scotsburn began with very cool and wet conditions at our Ballarat site. With good moisture in the soils and vigorous canopies, our hands-on approach kept the vines healthy. Whilst January and February saw the consistent Ballarat cool nights extending the ripening period. We hand-picked exceptionally late on the 16th of April and 1st of May.
Winemaking
Hand-picked fruit was divided into a portion of destemmed and whole berries, tipped into open-top fermenters, and then topped with 50% whole bunches. Held cool until indigenous ferment began after 3 days, the ferment reached a peak of 28˚C, spending a total of 11 days on skins. Post-press the wine was settled before racking to French oak barriques, 25% new. Indigenous MLF took place in barrel during maturation, after which the best barrels are selected, blended and bottled.
Independent Review
“From the Scotsburn vineyard, at 500m elevation. A fragrant wine with cherry, plum and nasturtium notes blending gradually into cedar and woodsmoke. It's a stringy wine, sinewy and long, with twiggy spice notes pulling through the cranberried juiciness of the palate. This has cellar-worthiness written all over it, thanks to its length, tannin and overall savoury feel.”
94 Points Jeni Port – James Halliday Wine Companion
(Published on 3 August 2022)
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