2026 Estate Nouveau Shiraz Pinot Noir Grenache

This is the 4th Nouveau, and my favourite so far. It's exactly what I set out to achieve with the wine. My intention was to create a light to medium bodied red with lashings of vibrant fruit, enticing spice and a beautiful delicate, soft structure. The blend of Pinot, Grenache, Shiraz hits every note in terms of flavour and texture. This is a supremely versatile wine that shines with or without food.

Following a dry winter and bushfires, we prepared for a tough El Niño season—minimal irrigation, no mid-row cover crop, and purchased water for the winery. Early spring rains defied expectations, filling tanks and kickstarting a cool, extended growing season. Vigorous canopy growth required intensive shoot thinning, trimming, slashing, and regular fungicide sprays to manage downy and powdery mildew pressure. The December heatwave finally shifted vine energy to fruit development, with veraison beginning mid-month. Intermittent rain and warm nights in January accelerated ripening while curbing disease.

1.75T of Pinot Noir was picked on 19/02 from Block 12 at 12.5Bé, cooling on, and spent 9 days fermenting on skins. 0.65T of Grenache from Block 14 (the new block) was picked 25/2 at 11.6Bé and spent 5 days on skins. The Pinot & Grenache were racked, blended and transferred to seasoned French & American barriques. On 17/03, 1600L of Block 2 Shiraz (12.2Bé) was added to the blend and more seasoned barriques filled. 8% of Mansfield Touriga was added 13/5/26 prior to bottling 20/5 at 12.24% alc/vol.