The C word
December 13, 2024
Dear friends
Let’s see if we can get through a December (and once again extremely overdue) missive without using the C word…
‘Tis the season of celebration, community, carols and cheer… The season for switching from spring frost-watch to summer pruning, with not many sleeps in between, and with the unusually high humidity levels of late, very careful management to tackle the mildew pressure. The home block is enjoying the sunshine now with some good-looking baby fruit forming and no rain in site. Hooray! And our new block will be ready for its first harvest come March. Where does the time go? Although thanks to a few solid years of biodynamic soil preparation prior to planting we reckon these healthy young vines are fruiting about a year ahead of schedule and we’re so excited to see what they will do when we get those first berries in the cellar.
In the meantime, we have the silly season to squeeze in and our brand new batch of 2021 Pétillant Naturel is fresh off the riddling racks and ready for… you know.
We always like to long-age our pét nat on its lees and this batch is no exception having been aged for 44 months before being carefully disgorged for optimal drinking pleasure. We’re unashamedly chasing a Champagne-y experience with this wine. The bubbles are fine, the wine is dry and the extended aging delivers layers of intrigue, complexity and those luxurious brioche notes we love in a celebratory glass of fizz. Our pét nat is made from 100% Pinot noir, or rather ‘blanc de noir’ with the white juice pressed off the dark skins within hours of picking. And that’s it. Just biodynamic fruit, fermented by wild yeasts and treated with care.
We’ll have stock for the next couple of months before this batch runs out so let us know if you want (need? we won’t judge) some delivered pronto. It’s $65 a bottle and we deliver in multiples of 6 ($10 shipping for 6 bottles, free for 12). Anyone local or passing the gate on the way to the prom is welcome to pop in and grab a bottle, or fill their boot. Just shoot us a message first to check we’re around.
For those who like to come and experience the wines where they’re grown, made and bottled, we’ll be having a few open days this summer. Check out the dates here and pop one in your diary if you fancy coming round for a chat while you taste our latest releases.
And lastly, if you like the idea of seeing the year out to bubbles and oysters with an ocean view, we’re planning a special afternoon/evening with our friends at the beautiful Udder & Hoe at The Sticks along the coast from us in Kilcunda. We’ll be there pouring pét nat to sip with oysters shucked to order, while Rachel and her team offer a special menu of small plates matched to the rest of our range – Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot noir and rosé.
We have bottles of those too if you fancy mixing things up for any special meals you might be planning with family, friends and other turkeys this… season.
Cheers
Anna and Neil