The winemaking philosophy is one that aims to allow the fruit to have a full expression with winemaking and oak inputs playing a supporting role. In 2014 the grapes were hand picked then de-stemmed without crushing. The grapes were allowed to macerate on skins for two days prior to being inoculated with a selected strain of yeast. The grapes were fermented on skins until dryness (approx. 9 days) in a combination of large format French oak fermenters, concrete and stainless steel open top fermenters, with a combination of hand plunging or pump overs twice per day. The wine was pressed to a combination of mostly French (90%) and some American oak (10%) barriques, of which 50% were new. The wine was matured in barrel for 15 months prior to bottling. This wine shows the ability of the Heathcote region to consistently produce Shiraz with great intensity of flavour as well as exceptional balance. The nose shows dark plum and spice aromas, with hints of charcuterie and some more earthy notes. On the palate the wine opens with plum and cherry fruit as the main drivers, followed by smoked meats, wild herbs, earth and dark cocoa. The fine tannins build on the palate and combine with powerful fruit, to provide great length and structure for ageing.