Full product description Our 2021 Merlot is the fifth vintage from our estate's newer merlot clones, 181 and Q45V14, hand-picked at first light on 31 March 2021 in Pemberton, Western Australia. A cooler, wetter spring pushed harvest later than usual, and small bunches with small berries — typical of these young vines — concentrated flavour and further defined each clone's character. WinemakingFruit was gently destemmed as whole berries into an open fermenter and cold-soaked for 12 hours, with 10% of the free-run juice drained off before fermentation to enhance concentration. The wine was cool-fermented at 24°C with gentle hand plunges three times daily, then left on skins for 15 days before pressing. It matured for 10 months on fine lees in French oak barrels from the Allier, Tronçais and Jupilles forests (one-third new), before blending, clarifying and bottling on 18 February 2022 — 3,088 bottles produced. Tasting notesDeep garnet with purple-tinged edges and high viscosity. The bouquet opens with blackberry and black cherry, a dried fig richness and a whisper of spice. The palate shows firm, complex structure filled out by ripe fruit, with well-managed tannins and a soft tobacco leaf note on the finish. The long, balanced finish carries polished tannins and our signature integrated oak spice. Drinking window: Drinking beautifully now, with the structure to evolve over the next 10+ years. Region: Pemberton, Western AustraliaClones: 181 and Q45V14Oak: French oak (Allier, Tronçais, Jupilles), 1/3 new, 10 monthsBottled: 3,088 bottles, February 2022
