From The Winery

The best parcels of fruit were selected in the vineyard. The grapes were and hand sorted. 30% were kept as whole bunches with the remaining berries being destemmed and split. The grapes were fermented in open vats. Native yeasts carried out primary fermentation, giving the wine added complexity and interest. During fermentation the cap was punched down daily to extract flavours, colour and tannins from the skins. Once the wines had finished fermenting they were held on skins for extended maceration before being pressed from the skins and seeds, and then racked to French oak barriques for maturation. The wine was left to evolve in 50% new French oak along with some older oak for +12months. The wine was sulphured in the spring and bottled in late-autumn.

The fruit used for No.89 is from the 20 year old vines that exhibit powerful spices and peppery flavours – a representation of a classic cool area Shiraz. The oak adds complexity, but the intense fruit restrains and helps harmonise. The flavours are vibrant and follow the aroma of spicy fruit characters. Soft fine tannins combine with great length of flavour to give a wine of youth that will repay cellaring


Reviews

"Hand-picked and sorted, 40% whole bunches, 60% whole berries, open-fermented, matured in French oak (14% new) for 14 months. An elegant, medium-bodied wine, the savoury/earthy overtones to the black cherry fruit are a bit too much of a good thing." - 90 Points, James Halliday - The Wine Companion