• French oak
• Mixed forest berries
• Savoury spice
• Supple & soft

"Seductively silken-textured red with cassis, black-fleshed plum, pepper and anise. Deliciously accessible now but the wine should develop well at least in the medium-term. Drink 2021 to 2028" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review

"Deep purple colour throughout the glass. The nose is a little shy, mixed forest berries and mountain herbs can be coaxed out. A silken flow, medium in body and slippery in texture. Supple red and black fruits meld with iodine and herbal notes. No edges at all. Tannins and acids sit in the background, gently guiding it to a very long and soft finish" Stuart Knox, Real Review

"Made from a blend of grape varieties more likely to be found in the south of France than in the Yarra Valley, this moreish young red does a lovely job of coupling easy drinkability with plenty of aromatic and flavour interest. Bright and purplish in colour, the nose harmoniously couples cherry-like fruit with sweet and savoury spice and herb aromas, against a warm earthy background. It’s medium-bodied, soft, ripe and spicy in flavour, suggesting a significant whole berry component, and it flows smoothly through the palate, fresh with mouth-watering acidity and balanced by soft, friendly tannins" Ralph Kyte-Powell, Real Review

"Yarra Valley via the Rhone Valley. Sexton and Tarraford have the plantings of the forbidden varieties.Lush, slurpy red, all dark berries, cola, pepper and sage herbal character. Good perfume, good flavours, good texture which is sandy and swishes with sexy, silty tannins. Long too. The wine feels medium weight, come hither and easy appeal, but dials in some complexity alongside its drinkability. It’s charming from the get go. Very polished and prim in a way too. A very nice expression, all up, and ready to roll" Mike Bennie, The Wine Front

The 2019 season was a rollercoaster… with fluctuating temperatures and rain events throughout Spring resulting in a very successful flowering in the Gruyere and Tarrawarra sub regions. Beautiful moderate weather in early summer gave us rich dark green canopies, so that despite a few heat spikes in January, we had access to plenty of pristine bunches at harvest. The colour and tannin ripeness in the Syrah, Carignan and Grenache are some of the best we have seen. All three varieties were highly perfumed, yet rich and ripe.

The Syrah comes from the Sexton and Tarraford Vineyards, the Carignan and the Grenache are grown at the Tarraford Vineyard. The Syrah is predominantly the Red Dog 67 clone that we have propagated from our original block 2 vines – that clone is unique to Tarraford and carries a special perfume. Each variety and parcel is fermented separately in small open vats with varying degrees of whole bunch and whole berry fermentation, before being matured in large and small oak for 18 months. The final blend was completed in the Spring of 2020 and left in tank to settle and come together until bottling just before Christmas, by gravity, no fining, no filtration. This blend is inspired by the band of fresh delicious early drinking reds being produced in the cool regions of Australia.