Grapes come from a range of warmer vineyards in the northern and southern end of the Yarra Valley. Soils are rocky and hungry, with a clay base and lots of broken sandstone. These north-facing sites are excellent for Cabernet that has clear, juicy, concentrated fruit with soft, silky tannins. The blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. We picked and sorted all varieties by hand. We de-stemmed the grapes and gently crushed them before fermenting them at relatively cool temperatures to accentuate the beautiful aromatics of the Cabernet. The wine stayed on skins for two weeks, during which time colour and tannins were gently extracted. We then gave the wine 10 months to mature in French oak barrels, 30% of which were new.