2020 Chaff Mill Cabernet Sauvignon
GOLD MEDAL: Australia and New Zealand Boutique Wine Show 2022
SILVER MEDAL: London Wine Show Competition 2022
SILVER MEDAL: Decanter World Wine Awards 2022
92 POINTS: Winestate, New Release Special Edition 2022/2023
91 POINTS: James Suckling
90 PONTS: Your Wine Enthusiast 2022
VINEYARD: These vines are 50 years old and are very minimally watered. The soil structure changes as you move down the rows and this only adds to the richness and complexity of the fruit produced.
HARVEST: The fruit was harvested in the cool of the night when the Baume levels were around 14.5. Our winemaker Bronson Kies determined that the fruit was full of varietal character, retaining some great natural acidity.
PROCESSING: Upon harvest the fruit is tipped into our receival bin with dry ice to prevent oxidation before being destemmed. Our automatic sorting table then removed extra green matter (around 5kgs per tonne).
The Cabernet parcel then underwent a cold soak for 10 days, the must was kept at 1°C and dry ice was used every day during this period. This helps to extract the amazing varietal character of the grape variety.
After the cold soak the must was inoculated at 18°C. During fermentation the cap is pumped over twice per day. The process consists of pump overs as well as automatic gentle irrigation for up to an hour in the afternoon and again in the morning. Once the wine reaches zero Baume it is pressed in our state of the art Europress to remove the skins.
During this process dry ice is used to prevent browning and oxidation. The fruit was then inoculated with a neutral yeast strain and then 24 hours later, LAB is cultured and added to the wine matrix. The wine was fully through malolactic fermentation 10 days after primary fermentation finished. The ferment was purposely let to spike at 25°C and then cooled down to around18°C for a 18 day fermentation (24 days on skins). Dry ice was used initially before fermentation started and was producing its own CO₂.
The longer, cooler fermentation is achievable because the winery has ample tank space, resulting in a big bold Barossa Cabernet with loads of complexity.
Once the Cabernet Sauvignon was malo and sugar dry, it went into French oak hogshead barrels, including 40% new oak. The wine was topped every 4 weeks, during the 20-month maturation time.
Prior to bottling the wine was cross-flow filtered before bottling. The wine was then carefully blended, with tens of bench trials to achieve a powerful but balanced wine with a long finish. It exhibits the amazing varietal character of Cabernet Sauvignon; green pepper, sage leaf and dark fruits are all present in this complex and powerful wine.
HISTORY: The name harks back to the previous use for the building in which thecellar door is now situated. For many years it was a chaff mill vital to the localfarming industry. The building has been restored to reflect it’s roots.