Vintage 2014 – Terre à Terre vineyard
Our unique closed-spaced Terre à Terre vineyard in Wrattonbully has produced what will probably be our best fruit thus far.
Climate
The 2014 growing season was very challenging to start with, cool and humid weather around flowering and severe heatwaves in January and early February; however, the growing season finished with very mild and warm conditions, with on average 6 weeks between véraison and harvest for all varieties. The low trellised – close-spaced vines in our Terre à Terre vineyard flowered, set and went through véraison at exactly the right times, dodging the damaging effects of the challenging weather and making the most out of the perfect weather conditions seen after véraison. One striking feature of the 2014 vintage was a very good and uniform set in all varieties, leading to a very harmonious and slow ripening at the end of the season.
The weather station in our vineyard was struck by lightning in December so we do not have a full set of data to establish degree day summations for the 2013-2014 growing season. Neighboring Coonawarra was 1,476 degree days (close to the Coonawarra long term average of 1,414 degree days) and based on long term comparison with Coonawarra, we estimate that degree day summations in our vineyard were 1,414 degree days.
Harvest
Sauvignon Blanc
The Sauvignon Blanc vines turned 10 years old in 2014. We handpicked our Sauvignon Blanc on the 13th and 14th of March 2014. The berries had, in what we now seen as normal, an amazing flavor profile.As for 2012 and 2013, we produced a Terre à Terre cuvée (fermented in oak barrels and demi-muids in a temperature controlled cellar) and a Down to Earth cuvée (fermented in stainless steel at even lower temperatures and in a 2,000L oak foudre). These two cuvées have just finished fermentation and are now sitting on yeast lees with bâtonnage once every two weeks for the next 3 months or so. The alcohol is around 12%v/v, and the cuvees already display amazing flavours and acidity.
Shiraz
We handpicked our Shiraz on the 3rd of April 2014. We got yields of approximately 7 tonnes per hectare – after bunch thinning at véraison down to 12 bunches per vine. The Shiraz was fermented in one Potter fermenter and 2 small 1-tonne tubs, with plunging once a day. After 20 days of maceration / fermentation, it has now been been pressed off skins and transferred to new Vallaurine barrels (Rive Droite and Rive Gauche) and old French barrels ready for malolactic fermentation. It will be a classic example of “old world” Shiraz – from Australia. The tannins are very ripe and the wine had pronounced blueberry flavours at the press.
Cabernet Franc
The Cabernet Franc came off at the same time as the Cabernet Sauvignon, on the 8th of April 2014. We did not bunch thin in 2014 as the bunches were very light. The Cabernet Franc was all fermented in small 1-tonne tubs, with plunging once a day, before being pressed off skins and racked into a new 4,000L foudre. It will be a very pretty wine, very floral and perfumed, with very good tannin structure. Cabernet Sauvignon On the 7th and 8th of April 2014 we handpicked our close-spaced Cabernet Sauvignon. This block, like the Sauvignon Blanc block, is now 10 years old. The fruit was perfectly ripe at harvest, with amazing Cabernet Sauvignon fruit flavours, and perfect Baumé readings of 13.5. The must was fermented in small 1-tonne fermenters with plunging once a week, before being pressed off skins and racked to a one-year old 4,000L foudre and new Dargaud and Jaegle barrels. This will be a classic Cabernet from the South East, very structured with typical cassis flavours.
Cabernet Sauvignon
On the 7th and 8th of April 2014 we handpicked our close-spaced Cabernet Sauvignon. This block, like the Sauvignon Blanc block, is now 10 years old. The fruit was perfectly ripe at harvest, with amazing Cabernet Sauvignon fruit flavours, and perfect Baumé readings of 13.5. The must was fermented in small 1-tonne fermenters with plunging once a week, before being pressed off skins and racked to a one-year old 4,000L foudre and new Dargaud and Jaegle barrels. This will be a classic Cabernet from the South East, very structured with typical cassis flavours.
