Melville’s Vineyard sits on the eastern flank of the historic Rutherglen wine region and is one of the larger vineyards in the area. Rutherglen sits on the banks on the Murray River and is a much warmer region than the nearby mountainous Alpine & King Valleys which we source a lot of fruit from. We think the warmer climate makes it a great match for Mediterranean varieties. Fruit from here tends to ripen & be harvested first at the start of the vintage period.
This vineyard has originally planted to the more common French varieties but in recent years some blocks have been grafted to exciting alternative varieties including Arneis, Grenache Blanc, Fiano, Grenache & Sangiovese. The vineyard is expertly managed by long time head viticulturist Matt Partridge.
The quality of the fruit delivered by Matt & his team is always of the highest quality and an absolute pleasure to make wine from.
Made using Sangiovese which provides a lovely balance of fruit sweetness, texture and aromatics when picked early and made into a Rosé. The key to this wine is very simple, the fruit is grown and picked with the sole purpose of making Rosé. Machine picked in the cool of the night while still bright, fresh and alive, usually around 11.5 baume. Essentially we are waiting for the green tannin to resolve from the fruit at which point we pick. We really strive to get the fruit while it is still vibrant and holding its natural acidity.
Picked using a new generation selective harvester that is super gentle on the fruit and limits berry crushing and subsequent unwanted tannin & colour pick up. Gently top loaded straight in to the press upon arrival to the winery. A super gentle champagne press cycle is used and only the very best of the clean delicate free run juice is taken, press is generally cut at or just under 5OOL/T. Juice is cold settled then racked off heavy solids with some light fluffy solids taken for texture.
Fermented using only the natural wild yeast indigenous to the vineyard. Juice is allowed to warm to above 2Oc until a strong healthy wild ferment is underway, at which point the ferment is cooled and held below 14c to maintain fresh aromatics in the resultant wine. Racked clean off solids post ferment and transferred to stainless before going to bottle a couple of months later.
Very simple wine making, the key is good fruit!
An ultra pale Rosé displaying immense purity both on the bouquet and palate. Fresh cut strawberries dominate the bouquet while the palate is defined by a delicate pure mouth filling natural acidity that serves as the backbone of the wine, supported by vibrant red fruits.
REGION/GI: RUTHERGLEN
GROWER: MATT PARTRIDGE
VARIETALS: SANGIOVESE
VINES PLANTED: 1997
ROW ORIENTATION: EAST WEST
SOIL TYPE: RED CLAY LOAM
ELEVATION: 18Om ASL
Melville’s Vineyard sits on the eastern flank of the historic Rutherglen wine region and is one of the larger vineyards in the area. Rutherglen sits on the banks on the Murray River and is a much warmer region than the nearby mountainous Alpine & King Valleys which we source a lot of fruit from. We think the warmer climate makes it a great match for Mediterranean varieties. Fruit from here tends to ripen & be harvested first at the start of the vintage period.
This vineyard has originally planted to the more common French varieties but in recent years some blocks have been grafted to exciting alternative varieties including Arneis, Grenache Blanc, Fiano, Grenache & Sangiovese. The vineyard is expertly managed by long time head viticulturist Matt Partridge.
The quality of the fruit delivered by Matt & his team is always of the highest quality and an absolute pleasure to make wine from.
Made using Sangiovese which provides a lovely balance of fruit sweetness, texture and aromatics when picked early and made into a Rosé. The key to this wine is very simple, the fruit is grown and picked with the sole purpose of making Rosé. Machine picked in the cool of the night while still bright, fresh and alive, usually around 11.5 baume. Essentially we are waiting for the green tannin to resolve from the fruit at which point we pick. We really strive to get the fruit while it is still vibrant and holding its natural acidity.
Picked using a new generation selective harvester that is super gentle on the fruit and limits berry crushing and subsequent unwanted tannin & colour pick up. Gently top loaded straight in to the press upon arrival to the winery. A super gentle champagne press cycle is used and only the very best of the clean delicate free run juice is taken, press is generally cut at or just under 5OOL/T. Juice is cold settled then racked off heavy solids with some light fluffy solids taken for texture.
Fermented using only the natural wild yeast indigenous to the vineyard. Juice is allowed to warm to above 2Oc until a strong healthy wild ferment is underway, at which point the ferment is cooled and held below 14c to maintain fresh aromatics in the resultant wine. Racked clean off solids post ferment and transferred to stainless before going to bottle a couple of months later.
Very simple wine making, the key is good fruit!
An ultra pale Rosé displaying immense purity both on the bouquet and palate. Fresh cut strawberries dominate the bouquet while the palate is defined by a delicate pure mouth filling natural acidity that serves as the backbone of the wine, supported by vibrant red fruits.
REGION/GI: RUTHERGLEN
GROWER: MATT PARTRIDGE
VARIETALS: SANGIOVESE
VINES PLANTED: 1997
ROW ORIENTATION: EAST WEST
SOIL TYPE: RED CLAY LOAM
ELEVATION: 18Om ASL
