Low yielding, high quality fruit at full ripeness was a hallmark of the excellent 2018 vintage. The Fordwich Hill vineyard is a small 3-hectare Easterly facing block planted on red volcanic soils in the early 1970’s. The age of these vines results in naturally low yields and intensely concentrated fruit. 

The 2018 vintage had perfect ripening conditions with dry, warm days paired with cooler nights resulting in beautifully ripe and healthy fruit. Fermented using partial ‘carbonic maceration’ to enhance the bright fruit aromatics and give a complex red wine with smooth tannins. The wine was placed in a mixture of 1 and 2-year-old French oak barriques for 12 months.

Impressively deep colour, dense red/black, showing a vibrant crimson rim. The palate is full of raspberry and mulberry fruits with a touch of chocolate framed with subtle oak and velvety tannins. Fine tannins and subtle oak frame the fruit providing a fuller style of Hunter Valley Shiraz.