Autumn-Winter 2017 Newsletter
240 cases producedDespite Mount Horrocks Cabernet Sauvignon receiving outstanding reviews in recent years, it remains relatively little known. Produced from hand picked organic fruit, this is a true thoroughbred. Open-fermented on skins, it is matured for eighteen months in French oak barriques, 35% of which are new, the remainder one and two years old. Stephanie has once again mastered a balance of fruit richness and oak maturation to deliver a cabernet of great poise and structure. Dark red-purple. PRAISE FOR THIS NEW RELEASE94+ points “… It has that extra lick of tannin, that extra push through the finish. There are Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, March 2017
450 cases producedIf you love supple, smooth shiraz then this wine’s for you. Handmade in every sense of the word, Stephanie’s 4 acre (1.7hectare) shiraz is exclusively from her Alexander Vineyard, a beautiful site just to the north-east of the Watervale township, at the foot of Mount Horrocks. Made with a very traditional winemaking approach: 100% handpicked and partial whole bunch foot crushed, with the balance cold soaked on skins and fermented in purpose-built vessels which allow gentle plunging of the cap to extract maximum colour, flavour and tannins. It then spends 18 months in 40% new French oak barriques. Deep dark crimson. Voluptuous dark fruits, mocha coffee and sweet spice. Juicy rich red fruits wrapped in a velvety cloak of fine oak, all spice, black fruit, seamless tannin and a succulent finish. Polished and poised yet primed to cellar to 2030 or beyond. PRAISE FOR THIS NEW RELEASE93 points “Don’t be fooled by mention of whole bunches; this is syrupy smooth and harmonious, its twiggy/herbal/bunchy characters sucked straight into the fruit of the wine and then smooth-sealed by oak. There’s nothing yin and yang about this; it presents as a seamless whole. Ultra fine tannin seems right at home in this context. It’s all plums, musky cream and spices. It’s quite exemplary.” Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, March 2017
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380 cases produced
100% estate grown and certified organic, the grapes are carefully hand harvested in the cool of the morning and sent straight to the winery where they are destemmed, crushed and gently pressed. The free-run juice is isolated and settled prior to fermenting in French oak barriques, one-third of which are new. Only 15 barrels were made.
Each barrel is stirred weekly for three months then left on gross lees for a total of 9 months. Then in November Stephanie conducts a series of tastings to determine the final blend. Once assembled it is bottled without fining, so it is not only produced organically, but also suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Light white gold. Garden herbs and apple over lightly toasty, spiced oak.
Bright and tight, crisp and textured, this has layers of fruit and gentle oak. Citrus peel and green apple, baked pear and hazelnut praline even, with a creamy texture and a long dry finish. Super-stylish, flavoursome yet not heavy. Perfect with roast or grilled poultry. Will cellar easily to 10 or more years.
PRAISE FOR THE 2015
95 points “You’d never guess the oak or maturation regime from its pale straw hue or fragrant apple and lemon blossom bouquet. Even the palate possesses a tension and purity that belie its structural complexity. This is the classiest, purest and most thrilling semillon from Mount Horrocks yet, with an endurance to rival the great whites of Bordeaux.”
Tyson Stelzer, Wine Business Monthly, November/December 2016
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300 cases produced
This is the fourth release of this bright, eminently drinkable red. The Mount Horrocks Nero d’Avola vineyard established in 2006, is one of the earliest plantings of this Sicilian variety in Australia. After assessing the experience of Sicilian growers it was planted on red loam over limestone, where it seems very much at home.
Hand harvested at full ripeness, Stephanie employs an early cold-soak prior to a nine day ferment with gentle daily plunging then matures the wine in French oak barriques for 18 months.
“I love the freshness and brightness of this wine – it’s just so drinkable!” says Steph.
Appealing cherry/plum red
Vibrant fruity scents, perfumed, lightly floral.
Deliciously juicy with vibrant acid and crisp tannin to match. Savoury dark cherry, raspberry and plummy fruit with appealing spice accents. Lovely mid-weight, cleansing palate that provides an ideal match to foods like a succulent pork and fennel sausage. Now to 6 years.
PRAISE FOR THIS NEW RELEASE
“Third straight vintage that I’ve loved this wine. Savoury, fruity, disturbingly delicious. Australia’s best Nero d’Avola?… I could drink a hell of a lot of this.”
Winsor Dobbin, March 2017
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