Kooyong, Single Vineyard “Ferrous”

the Kooyong vineyard is located on the Mornington Peninsula at Tuerong, on Miocene sedimentary soils. Our wines are made from domain grown, handpicked grapes and aim to manifest terroir: the integration of our geology and soils with the macroclimate of our region, the mescolimates of the various sites within our vineyard and the weather of the annual grape growing season. Our cultural operations in the vineyard and practices in the winery endeavour to articulate these unique characteristics diligently, respectfully and without artifice.

This single-block wine is sourced from 0.79 ha of gently sloping 22 year-old vines. These vines naturally produce low yields due to a combination of unique orientation, free drainage and high exposure. Together with this, the soil has a far greater prevalence of ironstone pebbles than any other part of the vineyard and delivers wine with great concentration and savoury tannic presence. This wine was fermented in a large-format wooden vat. The ferment, with a portion of whole bunches, occured spontaneously with ambient yeasts and lasted 17 days. Following fermentation, the wine was pressed and racked into French oak barriques (27% of which were new) and underwent indigenous malolactic fermentation. The wine was racked only once, with a total maturation period of 14 months. It was tehn bottled without fining or filtration.

Always unique, the 2019 Ferrous opens on the savoury side with iron, clove, allspice and lavender. Fruity and floral notes appear, displaying flavours of cranberry, orange zest, violets and cherry, while whole-bunch aromas add complexity. There is gentle power to the palate with an attractive combination of savoury flavours and purple fruits. The ultra-fine tannins offer a pleasingly dry, moreish spiciness, leading to a long and sustained finish of black cherry and lifted florals. While the wine can be enjoyed now, it demands cellaring to show its full potential.