We have 100 hectares of distinguished Margan vineyards, across two locations in Broke, Hunter Valley. These vineyards are planted to a mixture of 50-year-old traditional Hunter varieties and pioneering alternatives we have planted ourselves. Most of the vineyards are planted on the unique soil of the Fordwich Sill providing our wines with their special sense of place.

2016 RIPASSO SIX PACK

Sei is six in Italian and Ripasso is the Italian term used in reference to the re-passing of a wine from one ferment over the skins of another. In our case we have passed some of our 2016 vintage shiraz from our 40-year-old Timbervines vineyard over the skins of several different varieties from the 2017 vintage. The mystery for the drinker is to figure out what skins we have used for the re-fermentation.

Vineyard

The fruit that makes up the Shiraz base wine from 2016 was handpicked off 40yr old vines grown on the rich red volcanic soils of the Fordwich Sill. We choose a block that has the ability to build more complexity in to the fruit. The skins that we pass this wine over are chosen based on the vineyards that are performing best that particular year, as well as what additional nuances of tannin and flavour will complement the base wine to build complexity.

Winemaking

Only in very good vintages like 2016 do I keep a small volume of top-quality shiraz in reserve in oak to re-ferment it over another later excellent vintage. It must be a vintage where we get perfectly ripe fruit to ensure the finished wine has taken up only ripe tannins and fruit characters. The base wine from 2016 had plush fruit and elegant aromatics with medium tannins and it was re-fermented over different varieties in the 2017 vintage. This has given the wine lots of dense tannins and deep complex fruit characters. It has spent nearly two years in small new and two-year old French oak barriques. This wine is fun to make and is different every year we make it!

Tasting Notes

Medium - Full bodied displaying a subtle combination of spice, plush black forest fruit and tobacco like coupled with nuances of violet and blue fruits and firm velvety tannins.

Wine Composition

pH                                                       3.46

Titratable Acidity                               6.7g/L

Alcohol                                               13.5%

Residual Sugar                                   <1g/L

Food Match

Wagyu brisket, mushroom, celeriac and glazed onion

Cellaring Potential

15 - 20 years