Today is the first day of spring and, hopefully, the weather will start to warm up. We had a hint of spring yesterday with a beautiful day at the winery, despite the sub-zero temperatures in the morning. Today is also a very exciting day for us as we are releasing our Wayward Child wines.
Wayward Child is our experimental wine brand. Starting with vintage 2016, Helen and Joey asked us to try something different in the winery and not follow the usual winemaking road. This set us off on a journey of discovery – how far could we push it? The result is the Wayward Child Pinot gris – a wine proud of its’ pinkness and phenolic grip. Fermented on full skins, followed by extended ageing on skins, some development of flor, followed by a more oxidative ageing – this hands-off approach (at times, quite scary!) has resulted in a wine of surprising aromatics, with incredible structure. Definitely, one to be enjoyed with food and I would recommend after a glass or two, put in back in the fridge and try it the next day. You will be amazed at how much it develops.
Our Wayward Child Serendip is a co-fermented red of Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz. The wine was made with whole bunches (which means stems and all!), followed by an extended post fermentation maceration. Ageing in old barrels has allowed the tight, nervy tannins to slowly regroup. This wine almost defies explanation but is delicious.
In the vineyard, we are nervously waiting for budburst. It is very close in the Chardonnay and may happen next week. While we welcome the first signs of the new season, the potential for frost at this time of year can cause a few sleepless nights. After budburst, the new shoots and leaves are very tender and susceptible to frost. Keep your fingers crossed for a frost free September!
Our last bit of news is the recent blending of a new wine. This will be unlike anything you have seen before but is based on Cabernet. We have been working towards this wine since our inception in 2010 and believe we have got it right with 2016 wine. The motivation for this wine from the 2016 vintage was a single barrel of Cabernet that was so beautiful, it warranted being made in to something special, rather than just ending up in a blend. We have most of the packaging organized and just need to get the wine in to bottle. Once bottled, it will be given some time in the bottle for release. Watch this space.