2007 Cistercia Chardonnay

Vintage and winemaking notes

One of The Original Range from Willow Creek Vineyard, made in a style and named to reflect the origins of the variety – in this case in homage to the Cistercian order of monks who were instrumental in the establishment of Burgundy and Chardonnay as we know it.

Fruit for Cistercia Chardonnay is sourced from a vineyard in the higher and slightly cooler area of Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. It is made with traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques such as solids inclusion and wild ferments emphasising structure and acidity, rather than dominant fruitiness, and relies on extended ageing on barrel and in bottle to allow complexity of flavour to develop.

Cistercia Chardonnay is low cropped and unirrigated. Hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed and run directly into barrels without clarification or additions. After five days, the wild ferment took hold and proceeded, without temperature control, to dryness. Long barrel ageing for 18 months on lees and minimal filtration has resulted in a wine of great power but retaining tight, intense fruit with an authentic old world slant.

Cellaring is encouraged, where this wine will develop and define its unique character.

Tasting notes

Appearance: Pale straw, with some green hues.

Bouquet: Rich, ripe and complex aromas of honey, citrus, grilled nuts and hints of stem ginger and toast from the extended lees ageing in oak.

Palate: The flavours on the palate reflect the nose, with powerful lemon and lees complexity. The structure is full bodied and rich, but finishes with typical fresh acidity and fine oak grip which will complement even the richest dishes.

Recent Reviews

"A distinctly creamy bouquet, supported by citrus and hints of hazelnut; good flavour, depth and creamy mouthfeel on the finish."
94 pts James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2009 on our 2006 Cistercia Chardonnay

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2007 Benedictus Pinot Noir

Vintage and winemaking notes

One of The Original Range from Willow Creek Vineyard, made in a style and named to reflect the origins of the variety – in this case in homage to the Benedictine order of monks who were instrumental in the establishment of Burgundy and pinot noir as we know it.

Fruit for Benedictus Pinot Noir is sourced from a vineyard in the higher and slightly cooler area of Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. It is made with traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques extended maceration and wild ferments emphasising structure and acidity, rather than dominant fruitiness, and relies on extended ageing on barrel and in bottle to allow complexity of flavour to develop.

Benedictus Pinot Noir is low cropped and unirrigated. Hand-picked fruit was destemmed and wild fermented in small open fermenters with hand plunging as necessary to extract maximum fine tannin control, with around 15 days total time on skins. Long barrel ageing for 18 months on lees and minimal filtration has resulted in a wine of great power but retaining tight, intense fruit with an authentic old world slant.

Cellaring is encouraged, where this wine will develop and define its unique character.

Tasting notes

Complex nose of spice, some dried herbs, and sour cherry aromas complemented by toasty French oak.

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2006 Eremetes Shiraz

Vintage and winemaking notes

One of The Original Range from Willow Creek Vineyard, made in a style and named to reflect the origins of the variety – in this case in homage to the Hermitage appellation in the Northern Rhône, so famous for Syrah.

The power and complexity of the fruit is well-matched to the long maceration times, barrel and bottle ageing. The parcel of fruit used in the 2006 Eremetes Shiraz was sourced from a highly regarded vineyard at Tuerong in the warm, northern part of the Mornington Peninsula. The quality and intensity of this fruit enabled us to create our first vintage of Eremetes.

Ripe, concentrated fruit was wild yeast fermented and held on skins for a total of three weeks, was matured for 18 months in 60% new French oak barriques and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting notes

Appearance: Deep red, with some purple hues.

Bouquet: Ripe blackberry fruit aromas, with some spicy, floral and vanilla notes.

Palate: Upfront the palate has very rich, spicy fruit and oak flavours, with a generous, fleshy mid-palate and a firm grip to finish.

Recent Reviews

"A lifted, fragrant style; a little oaky now, but will see integration with time; ample fine-grained tannins on the finish."
94 pts James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2009

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2006 Aquitania Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage and winemaking notes

One of The Original Range from Willow Creek Vineyard, made in a style and named to reflect the origins of the variety – in this case Aquitania is the name the Romans gave to South-West France, which includes the Bordeaux region.

Using the finest parcel of fruit from our Merricks North vineyard, planted in 1989, the emphasis is on structure and longevity so the traditional winemaking and maturation techniques employed, mean the wine will reward the patient with subtlety, complexity and a European typicity in future. Wild yeast fermented, long macerated and matured for 22 months in 100% new French oak barriques, bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting notes

Appearance: Deep quite inky red, with purple hues.

Bouquet: Typical cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon aromas of cassis, cedar and some leafy complexity, with well-judged toasty oak.

Palate: The palate is elegant and long, with ripe blackcurrant and subtle herbal flavours, and the fine-grained, ample tannins which will provide the longevity for
cellaring.

Recent Reviews

"A highly focused wine, with a tightly woven structure surrounding cassis and blackcurrant fruit, which has largely absorbed the impact of 22 months in new French oak; long, lingering finish. 94 pts"
James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion 2010

Additional information

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