2018 Arlequin
Cabernet Sauvignon

The ‘Arlecchino’ or Harlequin was a cheeky, but loyal performer in ancient royal courts, an audience favourite and a driver of action, often with the ear of the royals to sew meaningful change.

2018 saw another year of upscaling their existence on their sweet chunk of red earth.  Many years of reconditioning these vines to our demanding deficit-irrigation and low-impact farming strategies has paid off. What a classy grape this is! Open canopy and near-dry-farmed, we continued to reduce and eliminate pesticide use in the transition to eco-friendly farming and native ecosystem restorations inside the vineyard.

Sourced from 2 ancient clones of Cabernet. The bulk is the Reynella clone which is alleged to have come from South Africa with the First Fleet, visiting The Rocks, Parramatta, Port Arthur, Henty and Reynella before alighting in Heathcote, with a smaller dosing of the Mt Ida clone, a local curiosity with some signs of a bit of somatic diversity in the vineyard. Two cheeky but loyal clones that perform well every year just like the Arlecchino, forging a unique and pleasing style of Cabernet.

Fermented and macerated on skins from whole berry then left to play on lees for a while. This year we chose a slightly heavier use of younger barrels, giving them a now-perfected place to contrast themselves. Aged to just the right spot, this is a fruit-encased slab of juicy Cabernet greatness, destined to surprise with dark berries sprinkled salubriously with a little reminder of Grandma's best cookies.

 Bottled unfined, unfiltered and full of fun.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon.