We would like you to enjoy our stately flagship wine at its full potential, very much like a Grand Cru Pomerol with many years of bottle ageing. And so, we did, under perfect condition in our barrel hall without the hefty price tag! Youll find still plenty of black fruit with tannins beautifully smoothed-out. The length is impressive, bold, and seductive. Unbeatable quality.

Vintage 2015

While Marlborough basked under blue skies throughout summer, the fruit on the vines was developing into something magical. Week after week of warm, dry weather followed on from a cooler than average start to the season. The long warm ripening season ended in a beautiful Indian summer perfect for these Bordeaux varieties. We hand-picked perfect physiologically ripe grapes at a low yield of 700g/vine.

Hans’ Winemaking Comments

Perfectly healthy, destemmed grapes allowed for a long cold soak to extract the superb flavours and beneficial antioxidants of the skins. I then let the must naturally progress through a long wild yeast fermentation and extended post maceration. After gentle pressing, the young wine was transferred into partly new French Barriques where it underwent the second natural malolactic fermentation. The minimal oxygen exchange over a long 30 months of maturation in the same barrels made all the difference. The wine and wood had time to marry together to form a richer, more complex and textured wine, able to age for many years in the bottle. We like you to enjoy this stately flagship wine at its full potential, very much like a Grand Cru Pomerol with many years of bottle ageing. And so we did, under perfect condition in our barrel hall for a further 3 years but without the hefty price tag! No fining. No filtration. Natural goodness.

Original TastingNotes

The 2015s sweetness and velvety tannins are present in abundance and the wine is massive in the mouth as well as incredibly pure and well-delineated. Blackberries, damson plums and black currants scents let this wine sing in full harmony! Hints of spices and cedar add to the great length. Perfect to drink now, but one which will make a great addition to a wine lovers cellar. Tasted July 2020.

Technical Data

Varieties

33% Merlot, 33% Cab. Franc, 33% Cab. Sauvignon

Soil

Shallow (<45cm) stony, gravel and sandy soil. Well drained, developed from stony alluvium.

Planting Density

5,500 vines/ha

Yield

2t/ha

Vine planted

1996

Alcohol

14.5%

Residual Sugar

<1g/L

Ageing Potential

20+ years

Bottles Produced

3,010

Food Matching Suggestions

All our wines are dry and never over extracted. Sommeliers love them for their ability to easily match with many different dishes and foods. If you want to put a label on it, they are lovely with hearty dishes like a fine roast, grilled meat, cheese. But to be honest, this wine is a celebration in itself…