Hand picked and gently pressed to preserve delicate fruit aromas and achieve elegance and finesse on the palate.
Orange experienced cool wet conditions for the whole year leading up to the very late vintage which finally finished in early May. The vineyard manager did a spectacular job to combat diseases and the quality of the grapes picked was far better than would normally have been expected. Both Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc produced well balanced elegant wine in which the Sauvignon Blanc was the best for the years. Red varieties produced lighter wines than normal but with nice clean fruit flavours and good balance.
The Orange region of New South Wales is one of Australia's newest premium regions being favoured for its high altitude cool climate. Situated approximately 270 km west of Sydney the topography and soils of the Orange region are dominated by the extinct volcano Mt Canobolas. The present day peak of the mountain is at 1400m and vineyards in the region are planted at elevations as high as 1100m with the lowest elevations in the region being 600m. Soils in the central part of the region are derived from the basaltic lavas of the old volcano, and primarily consist of deep red to brown free draining clay loams.
2013 AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION - 94 - Comments by ben edwards - A ripe and attractive blend of nectarine, grapefruit and spice are evident on the bouquet; the palate is fleshy and soft, with a fine backbone of acidity providing line and length; builds seamlessly in flavour across the palate.