Whilst we love the position of our Command vineyard, and the immense power and backbone that this site gives us, we are also prone to frost when the right conditions set in. Spring 2018 delivered one of those frosts which severely damaged a large percentage of new shoots. Fortunately, fine conditions followed this event and we were able to ripen a much smaller crop load from our old vines. In 2019 we harvested the Command fruit over a week from 13 - 18 March. Spanning from the North Para River on the western side of our Command vineyard to Cellar Door at the eastern end, we see a gradual increase in clay content which corresponds with a decrease in vigour over the vineyard. For this reason we harvest the Command fruit in several picks, aiming to achieve the perfect balance in each pick. We used a combination of heading boards and standard open fermentation combined with a small amount of barrel ferment to create the 2019 Command. Post-pressing the Command was transferred to a combination of new French and American oak from coopers we know and trust. The wine went through malolactic fermentation and further ageing, allowing the powerful fruit to come together with the tannin profile present in the fruit and oak. - Jules Ashmead & Brock Harrison
