It has a deep, vibrant colour and offers distinctive varietal characters, complemented by spicy oak nuances. A layered, well balanced palate structure and a persistent finish, provides a frame for the full-bodied berry-fruit flavours and touches of spice. After fermentation in small batch open top fermenters, the wine spent 18 months in carefully selected fine grain American oak. A proportion of new (30%) American oak barriques were used to enhance its palate structure and flavour complexities without masking the varietal fruit characters.