Tapanappa acquired the then 30-year-old Whalebone Vineyard in 2002 and completely renovated it onto a new trellis supporting a shoot-thinned vertical canopy. There are 4 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon planted at Tapanappa’s Whalebone Vineyard in 1974. The old Cabernet Sauvignon vines of the Whalebone Vineyard have responded magnificently. After a forty-year struggle, the vine roots have penetrated the deeper limestone layers and are extracting a balance of moisture and nutrient to sustain a meager crop of 2 tonnes/hectare. The vines have sufficient canopy and root system to fully ripen the harvest relying only on natural rainfall

Only 15% Shiraz here, from the Adelaide Hills. Blackcurrant, peppermint nougat, new leather, aniseed, and biscuit spices. It’s bold and curranty, with sweet nougat oak and dark raspberry, meat and sage flavour in there, plush powdery tannin, and some alcohol warmth poking through on a pretty long suede-like tannin finish. It’s still pretty youthful, and likely has more to reveal with appropriate bottle age.