This classic southern Rhone blend bursts with aromas of mulberry and spirited cherries over notes of fragrant violets and white pepper. The inclusion of a high percentage of whole clusters in the ferment provides extra lift to the nose with sweetened chai spice aromas, perfectly balanced by a touch of dried lavender.
100% Hazel's Vineyard
Grapes: 68% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 10% Mataro
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2021
Varietal
Grenache | Syrah | Mataro
Vineyard
Hazel's Vineyard
Bottling Date
February 2021
Alcohol %
14.5
The Wine Front
92
The Real Review
89
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
This classic southern Rhone blend bursts with aromas of mulberry and spirited cherries over notes of fragrant violets and white pepper. The inclusion of a high percentage of whole clusters in the ferment provides extra lift to the nose with sweetened chai spice aromas, perfectly balanced by a touch of dried lavender. The palate is initially juicy and sweet, combining crunchy red plums and red liquorice from the Grenache, with Syrah and Mataro adding structure, spice, and savouriness. The finish is persistent with layers of cocoa, cherry liqueur and a frame of firm, gravelly tannins.
Vineyard
100% Hazel’s Vineyard - biodynamically farmed and our southernmost vineyard. Hazel’s combines cooling Southern Ocean influences (12km from the ocean) with a northerly aspect and plenty of sunshine.
Wine Making
A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mataro from our Hazel’s vineyard. Each parcel was harvested and vinified separately in vertical, open top stone fermenters with no temperature control. Grenache was fermented with 50% whole clusters, while Syrah and Mataro were destemmed, but the berries not crushed. The fruit spent between 8-14 days on skins before being gently pressed directly into large format oak casks for malolactic fermentation in our underground cellar. The wines were racked at the beginning of spring and blended in January 2022 and only received a coarse filtration.
Vintage Report
The 2021 season started out with a cooler, wet spring which resulted in a lower fruit set for some varieties such as Chardonnay. We experienced above average rainfalls in early spring, meaning extra effort was required in our organically grown vineyards to mitigate disease pressure. Spring rolled into summer with long warm and dry days, however a couple of rain events in February and March required extra effort from our committed vineyard team in terms of canopy management and fruit selection at harvest. All white varieties show fragrance and vineyard characters with perfume and aromatic lift combined with elegant textures and fine acid lines.