However, Ribbon Vale is an elevated location, with aspects out to the south and west, is therefore cooler and ripens more slowly.  Moss Wood looks out to the north and east, is more sheltered and commensurately warmer.  We’re now getting the hang of what that means for ripening times and fruit flavours.

Merlot has been a challenge but one we have enjoyed far more than initially expected.  This variety is the most widely planted in Bordeaux and very highly regarded there.  Anyone lucky enough to taste Chateau Petrus or Chateau Cheval Blanc would surely understand why.  Australian Merlot, with very few exceptions, is typically of only moderate quality and usually dismissed as soft, generic dry red.  We admit to making that very criticism ourselves but once we were exposed to high-quality Merlot and how it is made, a whole new world has opened up.  We have had to focus on the wines of Pomerol and St Emilion, looking in depth at their production techniques as well as the demanding task of tasting as many as we can. Very demanding indeed!

No doubt customers will have their own views on how the project has gone so far.  For us, we are most proud of the quality of the Merlot.  It’s not so much that we think it’s a better wine than the Cabernet Sauvignon but we are delighted with the overall improvement and are comfortable it is a serious wine, capable of bearing comparison with wines of this style from anywhere in the world.