Lovegrass is a weed that grows in the vineyards and its sticky flowers affectionately attach themselves to vineyard workers’ socks. This Shiraz will linger with you in the same way that the flowers do!

As a young wine when first opened, it may appear closed, dark and brooding. Tar, earth and black liquorice. Air and time both help to massage out the abundant sweet fruits, blackberry and plum with an undertone of fennel and spice. In a similar way, the palate starts quite muscular and tight but over time relaxes into a more generous juicy wine. As the juicy fruit evolves the initially rustic tannins start to settle into it like sinking into a plush armchair. The strong earth characters are a nod to the organic and biodynamic principles adopted in the vineyard. The character of the fruit is gently supported, rather than dominated, by savoury old oak barrels. All in all this is a structural wine that over delivers at the price point and will certainly benefit from decanting whilst rewarding those with the patience to cellar it well for 5 to 10 years.

Quite a wet winter with July, August and September being way above average in rainfall. October, November and December were a little below average and January, February and March were more or less bone dry. Temperatures were mild until late January, so vines seemed to be delayed and harvest appeared like it was again going to be late. However, a few hot days and nights brought the ripening forward with slight sacrifice of acidity. The above average temperatures of February and March and the dryness made everything ripen relatively quickly. Yields appeared on the lighter side, because the heat and dry conditions did reduce them significantly, however they were still quite respectable across all varieties.

Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to open fermenters. Foot treading is undertaken two-thirds of the way through fermentation, the wine is basket pressed and then aged in French oak for up to 18 months.