2021 - Vino di Gino - GrenacheOak Aged Grenache Swan Valley Zero additions 503 bottles made Picked on the same day as the Chateau da Swan, January 31st 2021. The parcel for the Vino di Gino (VdG) came primarily from Grenache vines that had not been leaf plucked for powdery mildew, and as such a more vigorous separation of fruit had to be performed (somewhat astonishingly, the portion worst affected with powdery mildew was destined to end up in the 2021 Brutal a wine we all adore

a kind of quiet confidence you don’t quite get from a standard 750

Oranje Tractor Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc

It was this final Nally that we decided to crush and co-ferment together and then press into a single seasoned old oak puncheon

Pressed separately to stainless steel and glass demijohns for élevage over the next 8 months

Semillon grown from our little block in the Swan Valley picked on the third weekend of January 2023

When we ventured down to the Oranje Tractor vineyard in Albany we realised that we might not have the ideal solution for hauling the organically grown merlot and savvy b back to the Valley

like a hug for your mouth

After a vintage-long hiatus the juice is loose

Some absolutely belter fruit from John Batistessa who manages multiple old-vine parcels in the Swan

to balance between holding out in an attempt to achieve physiological ripeness

These bunches were steeped for 8 days

5% Grenache/5