2006: Vintage rating 90-92 Red, 95 White
A wonderful summer, very dry at the vineyard with 40 days without rain before the harvest of Chardonnay.
It was a tricky time for the vineyard team getting the vines through to harvest without too much water stress- but in the winery we can see what a great job Carson has done.
For the reds it was a high Brix - and therefore alcohol - year which required incredible patience from us all as we awaited the flavours to assert themselves which they did beautifully in the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah and in most of the Cabernet Franc.
Early estimates are as follows
EC2 approximately 1,400 cases. Stunning wine from a great vintage
Carsons Cabernets, Approx 350 cases- aromas to the fore
Gimblett Road Range Approx 850 cases- Merlot shinning this year
Tahi & Reserve Approx 300 cases combined. Patience required.
Syrah Approx 160 cases- something special from the Doctor again!
Updated 12/06/06
2005: Vintage rating 90 Red , 93 White
A beautifully hot summer which started with some tricky ducking and diving with frost threats, which we avoided again through hard work and luck in equal measures. The warm summer was great for cell division and at veraison we had some serious fruit thinning on the younger vines with the older ones seemingly well in balance - getting wiser possibly?
The chardonnay revelled in the fine warm weather and when the flavours came on we decided to pick just in time a day longer and two things would have happened:
1) Sugar levels would have overpowered flavour
2) it started to rain.
Luckily the fruit thinning mentioned earlier saved much hassle on the red varieties and we sit now with full tanks of good to very good reds, especially the Merlot and the Cabernet Franc that are certainly the stars of the 2005 vintage.
No question the EC2 is the best we have yet made, looooong flavours in the mouth to go with a wide complexity that is underpinned by the fresh acidity that we all enjoy with food.
All the reds in Tank or barrel for the winter but we now know this:
Tahi will be of small quantity, very good old block Cabernets and Merlot.
EC2 a divine wine, a perfect match with Oysters au naturale as well as Crayfish or Lobster of course.
Tahi and Reserve combined will be about 450 cases- still in barrel at the moment.
Carsons Cabernets 450 cases- release date 01 January 2007
Syrah - The Doctor a delicious 193 cases- due for release December 2006
Big Shed Red 1,125 cases- a great value red Available now
Merlot - 125 cases- Due for release October 2006
Updated 12/June/06