2018 Stevens Road Malbec

Colour:Deep red, purple hues

Nose:Wonderfully perfumed, displaying striking aromas of spicy, ripe mulberries and violets with hints of graphite and white pepper in the background

Palate:The generous palate is full bodied and layered with plush, dark fruits; black plums and ripe blueberries. Inky forest fruits are supported by a fine, velvety tannin structure, supple and moreish with a lingering fruit finish.

Varietal:Malbec (100%)

Vintage:2018

Region:Margaret River

Conditions:The growing season began with good, even budburst after average Winter rainfall. The mild Spring which followed ensured that there was good flowering and fruit set. A moderate start to Summer, with no heat extremes, set up the harvest well with white varieties offering great flavour intensity and bright acidity. There was an incredible display of Marri blossom (tagged as a once in a generation ‘mega-blossom’) which meant bird pressure was practically nonexistent whilst the whites were harvested. A minor rain event occurred in mid-March, which was followed by fine warm conditions which prevailed right through to middle of April allowing all red varieties to achieve great flavour and tannin ripeness. In summary 2018 will be remembered as an outstanding vintage! Our third release of a single vineyard Malbec, with all the fruit grown on our mature Stevens Road vineyard. The block is tiny; only 0.4 Ha in size (11 rows!), and as such this is truly a limited release with only 100 dozen produced. The 2018 Stevens Road Malbec recognises the outstanding quality that this individual vineyard has the ability to produce, as well as highlighting the unique personality of this noble variety.

Alcohol:14%

Bottle Size:750ml

pH:3.48

Winemaking Notes:This 1.8 tonne parcel of fruit was crushed/destemmed fermentation in several small open fermenters for 6 days at 24 – 28°C, during which the cap was managed by regular plunging by hand. The wine was gently pressed at 2 Baume and finished ferment in tank. Once dry, the wine was racked to fine French oak barriques (40% new) where it completed MLF. The wine was matured in oak for 16 months before the best barrels were selected.