Winemaker: David Lowe and Jane Wilson, contract winemakers in Mudgee.

Grape selection: Another difficult year, starting with disastrous frosts shortly after budburst and followed by hail on Christmas Eve. The mix of primary and secondary shoots required us to undertake extensive secondary pruning in January to remove slower-ripening fruit. Except for some untimely rain in February, we enjoyed a long balmy period through until May, with warm sunny days and cool nights. The resultant grapes ripened slowly and elegantly, delivering us some highly perfumed wines. The aggressive “green” pruning in January and careful treatment of the selected rows (leaf-thinning, hand-picking) more than compensated for the early problems.

Wine-making: The selected shiraz grapes were combined with about 9% of white viognier grapes (by proportion) and crushed so as to leave a quantity of whole berries for partial carbonic maceration. The juice was co-fermented, in the traditional method employed in the Rhone Valley in France. The resultant ferment is processed in traditional open vats, pumped over four times a day to achieve aeration. The cap is plunged by hand to achieve even extraction. The ferment is cold-soaked, then finished at a higher temperature to extract the fine elegant tannins. This adds texture to the middle palate, although the colour is less aggressive than normal Australian reds. Natural egg fining and coarse filtering are used to maintain the flavour and texture.

Description of Wine: Viognier is sometimes blended with the shiraz to introduce attractive aromatics and “smooth out” the often abrasive Australian shiraz character. Viognier adds a honey aromatic to the plummy shiraz character. The cool climate already produces a softer, more elegant shiraz than is normal in Australia. The resultant wine is medium weight, with soft complex flavours. It has proved exceptionally popular in the tasting room, especially with people seeking a good “drinking” wine. The colour is bright but not as intense, as a result of the growing conditions and the addition of Viognier. The blend originated in the Rhone Valley (presumably as a result of a past blending mistake), but it is emerging in Australia to meet the demand for wines which can be drunk by themselves (not just with red meat).

Cellaring Potential: This wine is complete now. It will cellar comfortably up to three years.

Best Food Matches: Pork (in any way); Chinese and Thai food; lamb; veal; pate; antipasto and firm cheeses – or just by itself.