The fruit for this wine was sourced from Sue Trott’s McLaren vineyard. Pruned for low yields, with minimal intervention throughout the year, the iron-rich soils anchor the vines against the fierce winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean. Nestled in the north-eastern end of the Willunga Basin, Blewitt Springs lies about 180m above sea level. This slightly higher elevation provides a cooler climate than nearby McLaren Vale and Willunga. These cooler temperatures and moderating afternoon sea breezes, allow the fruit time to develop more complex flavour ripeness, without the excessive alcohol levels found in warmer areas.
The wine is made by ex Penfolds winemaker Mike Farmilo, who has over 40 years experience in South Australia and his knowledge of the McLaren Vale region is second to none. He and his team put the wine through a complex barrel aging process with new French, and used American oak barriques for a period of 20 months. 2009 was a dry, but not necessarily hot vintage and the result is a wine with complex aromas of ripe berry and mocha-coffee oak and a delicate hint of mint. It is a full bodied wine with black fruits, enhanced by fine velvety tannins. The great thing about this wine is its age. At 6 years, it is in the prime of its life but it has the structure and weight to last another 3-4 years in the cellar. But I won’t be waiting; I just love drinking this wine right now.