Named for an old orchard which was removed (along with 500 tonnes of bluestone) to make way for vines planted in 1995, the Apricot Block sits on an east facing slope rising up from an old creek bed that intersects our Roennfeldt Road vineyards.

The site is beautifully exposed to the soft morning sun, and benefits from late afternoon shade and cooling south easterly gully breezes. The upper sections of the block are laden with hard quartz, granite and bluestone, with the lower sections on silty, sandy loams. These contrasts in the geological structure of the block create a wine that is at once firmly structured, but also showing a generous, plush fruit profile. In a typical year, we anticipate yields of around 1 to 1.5 tonne per acre.

Pre-veraison conditions were hot and very dry, with high winds at flowering decimating yields to an all time low. Good rains at the end of January, and cooler than average ripening and harvest conditions produced a very low yield of small berried fruit, producing intensely flavoured wines with firm tannin lines.

The fruit was hand-picked on February 26, destemmed and fermented in open slate fermenters for 6-7 days. The wine was matured for 20 months in 15% tight grained new French and a balance of seasoned American oak hogsheads.

On the nose there are pretty florals interwoven through the dark fruits, with hints of stone fruit kernel. The palate is rich and creamy, the powerful fruit profile resplendent with concentrated dark plums, and touches of sauteed stone fruit and bitter dark chocolate. There are some lovely graphite like fine tannins that support the intense fruit flavour profile down the full length of the palate.