2023 FONTAINE CABERNETS

For us, the Fontaine wines represent the full breadth of the Yarra Valley by sourcing from a range of vineyards in both the northern and southern ends of the Valley. The sites are all north facing for maximum sunshine and are generally clay based soils with broken sandstone, allowing for excellent water retention. This enables the vines to handle summer drought and consistently deliver  concentrated yet elegant wines.

A mild spring with high rainfall set the scene for the cool growing season. Summer began dry and remained below average temperature throughout - in the end the season brought everything together albeit much later than the previous year and gave us a wine that resulted in a really classic Yarra style of Bordeaux blends - restrained and fruit driven with fine tannins. We strive for drinkability through elegance, and the season came through to deliver exactly that.

39% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc. Everything is hand picked and sorted by mechanical sorting line, then fermented at a relatively cool temperature to accentuate the aromatics and brightness. The wine spent 20 days on skins, before being moved to French oak barrels, of which 20% are new and then aged for 14 months prior to bottling.