The 2021 vintage was a welcomed site after the tumultuous (putting it mildly) 2020 one. Near perfect conditions yielded beautifully balanced and ripe grapes. The Arneis & Fiano were first in on March 2nd with the Nero d’Avola and Zibibbo coming in a week later. The Mataró was the last pick toward the end of March. All the fruit was harvested in the cool of the early morning to retain freshness and the fruit was transferred immediately to Lodestone Winery in the Adelaide Hills for production. Tim’s confidence has grown year-to-year with this wine and finally felt he had enough control to add a substantial portion of white varieties to the mix, really bringing another dimension to the wine, namely added acidity and freshness and lighter tannins, all the while maintaining the ‘fruitiness’ of the wine.
The Nero d’Avla and Mataró were fermented with around 50% whole-cluster in open-top fermenters for a full day prior to being pressed off, achieving the hazy, rose petal-like color. The Arneis and Fiano were whole-bunch pressed and co-fermented while the Zibibbo was fermented separately. The wine was bottled with approximately 12 g/L residual sugar and fermented dry over the winter, resulting in a final pressure of around 3 bar, resulting in a gentle, frothy foam rather than the aggressive fizz. Wild yeast fermentation, no additions, nothing taken away = 100% goodness.