An early vintage meant that we began harvesting fruit for the Reserve Semillon ($20) on the 19th of January which was some two weeks earlier than usual. The combination of a compressed growing season and dry conditions meant that the concentration of sugar in the berries rose more rapidly than flavours accumulated so we found ourselves picking at slightly higher sugar levels than we had in the past. The three vineyards that contributed to the Reserve blend, all situated on contrasting sites throughout Pokolbin, were hand picked between 10.8 and 11.5 Baumé. The juice was gently extracted, with only the free-run making it into this blend. The heavily clarified juices were fermented cool over two weeks before being racked off yeast lees. In the Reserve Semillon we aim to produce a Hunter Semillon that is elegant and balanced in style, offering great varietal expression and has the ability to age gracefully. The blended wine has a pH of 2.89, TA of 6.8g/L and an alcohol of 11.0%. The wine will be released in July 07 and then again in four years as a mature release.

Like the Semillon, fruit used to produce our Verdelho ($18) is sourced from a mature vineyard in Pokolbin. We picked at a fairly high 13.5 Baumé when the flavours had reached an ideal concentration. Acid levels remained steady as the nights had been cool and the juice required only minor adjustment in the winery (pH 3.2, TA 6.5 g/L). The juice was then fermented using two different yeast that offered contrasting qualities. One was vigorous and displayed strong ester production, while the other was more neutral in style but offered greater glycerol accumulation. As a result we were able to produce a more “complete” wine of greater complexity and style.