Clare Hills Clare Valley Merlot 2017 By Neil Pike

The 2017 vintage was shaped by a cool, wet winter and spring with above average rainfall. Budburst was later than the “recent normal” due to the cooler conditions in September and consequently harvest was also a little late – we commenced vintage on March 3rd. Leading up to harvest January and February were both quite mild with no extended periods of heat and little rain. The 20mm we did receive on 20th January finished the vineyards off nicely.

The grapes for this wine were machine harvested, transported to the winery, de-stemmed into open fermenters and cold soaked for three days before fermentation began. The wine was pumped over twice daily during ferment for approx 7 days and this was followed by draining, pressing and then maturation in French oak casks for 14 months before racking and blending. The wine was stabilised and lightly filtered prior to bottling.   

Clare Hills Clare Valley Riesling 2019 By Neil Pike

The grapes for this wine were both machine and hand harvested, then transported to the winery, crushed, chilled and pressed as soon as possible prior to the juice being clarified by cold settling. It was then inoculated with a neutral, pure yeast culture and fermentation carried out in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks for on average 25 days. The wine was stabilised, blended and then filtered prior to bottling in June 2018.

Clare Hills Clare Valley Shiraz 2017 By Neil Pike

The grapes for this wine were machine and hand harvested, transported to the winery, de-stemmed into open fermenters and cold soaked for three days before fermentation began. The wine was pumped over twice daily during ferment for approx 7 days and this was followed by draining, pressing and then maturation in French oak casks for 14 months before racking and blending. The wine was stabilised and lightly filtered prior to bottling.

Clare Hills Clare Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2018 By Neil Pike

The vintage was shaped by a typically cool winter and spring, but with below average rainfall. Timing of budburst and flowering were pretty much normal and harvest commenced on 14th February for us. We experienced above average temperatures during January, but February and March were quite mild with no extended periods of heat, receiving virtually no rain in either month. The 2018 vintage will be seen as another really good vintage in Clare and is possibly comparable to recent quality years such as 2016, 2013, 2010 and 2007.

The grapes for this wine were both machine and hand harvested, then transported to the winery, crushed, chilled and pressed as soon as possible prior to the juice being clarified by cold settling. It was then inoculated with a neutral, pure yeast culture and fermentation carried out in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks for on average 25-30 days. The wine was stabilised, blended and then filtered prior to bottling in July 2018.   

Clare Hills Clare Valley Tempranillo Rose 2018 By Neil Pike

The 2018 vintage was shaped by a typically cool winter and spring, but with below average rainfall. Timing of budburst and flowering were pretty much normal and harvest ultimately commenced for us on 14th February. The fruit for this wine was harvested in mid March. We experienced above average temperatures during January, but February and March were quite mild with no extended periods of heat. Virtually no rain fell in either month.

The fruit for this wine was both machine and hand harvested, then transported to the winery, crushed, chilled and pressed as soon as possible prior to the juice being clarified by cold settling. It was then inoculated with a neutral, pure yeast culture and fermentation carried out in stainless steel, temperature controlled tanks for on average 25-30 days. The wine was stabilized and then filtered prior to bottling in July 2018.   

Clare Hills Clare Valley Cabernet Merlot 2017 By Neil Pike

The 2017 vintage was shaped by a cool winter with average rainfall followed by a dry, warm spring and quite a hot December. Budburst was earlier than normal due to the warmer conditions in September and consequently harvest was also very early – we commenced vintage on Feb 9th. Thankfully January and February were quite mild with below average maximum and minimum temperatures experienced for both months. Around 30mm of rain received on 29th January went a long way towards shaping the vintage also. It has probably turned a potentially ordinary vintage into something potentially quite special.

The grapes for this wine were machine harvested, transported to the winery, de-stemmed into open fermenters and cold soaked for three days before fermentation began. The wine was pumped over twice daily during ferment for approx 7 days and this was followed by draining, pressing and then maturation in French oak casks for 14 months before racking and blending. The wine was stabilised and lightly filtered prior to bottling.   

Cabernet 60% Merlot 40%