Willoughby Bridge Vineyard, Colbinabbin, Heathcote G.I
Perfume and fruit explosion from a unique site. Made without addition of any kind.
Cherry red and a tiny touch cloudy.
Muddled raspberry, ripe strawberry, rosemary – absolutely delicious aromatics.
Serious tension on the palate. Tight phenolics pulling to the middle of the palate and small berries – cranberry, candied raspberry, fresh strawberry – pushing back out against the herbaceousness. Lots of energy across the palate. Acidity is lifted, and the wine has a beautiful, fine texture. It is very interesting, very delicious, and very easy to drink, although it invites a little more pondering over than in some years. A very cool iteration of the Super Juice.
Vineyard
A Block and C Block at Willoughby Bridge vineyard.
Both CVT230 clone Nebbiolo grafted in 2016 on very fine, iron and clay rich soils. N/S orientation.
Winemaking
An early-harvest from the A Block at Willoughby Bridge is used as a sort of starter ferment, direct-pressed to tank and later moved to old puncheon, where healthy yeast were encouraged with air circulation.
CVT230 clone from C Block at Willoughby Bridge was picked a few days later, on the 18th of February, destemmed and inoculated with larger amounts of the earlier-harvested A Block. Allowed to ferment undisturbed. Pressed at seven days to stainless, with a further addition of the earlier-harvested A Block post-pressing.
The wine is exposed to oxygen early to help yeast complete fermentation and for tannin resolution.
Once settled, the wine is racked to old puncheon, with only the most aromatic and slinky barrels kept for the Super Juice final blend.
Bottled without addition or filtration.
