‘Up on the Roof’ – a hint at where this wine is best enjoyed – is the antithesis of a precise, scientific wine. It is a blank canvas, painted with large brush strokes as Louis wanders through the winery picking a barrel here, a tank there. In 2023, it is mostly Syrah with a splash of Grenache and Touriga Naçional. Like a chef acting on instinct rather than recipe, he’ll blend and taste, tweak with a pinch of salt, a little more attention here, a little less there. The result is a snapshot of the vintage with no rules other than to have a good time. Sum of its parts being greater than the whole kind of stuff.
The grapes are harvested from their respective homes in McLaren Vale, Eden Valley, and Adelaide Hills. There’s not much to say about the winemaking… Louis simply takes finished wines from his cellar, blends on feeling, and then bottles without fining or filtering and with just a very light 15 ppm dosage of sulfur. This wine is a free spirit; don’t overthink it.