Climate

Hot, dry and minimal frost across the region during the period of critical growth leading up to harvest has enabled high quality grapes with intense varietal flavours to be grown. The dry winter did result in reduce yields from some vineyards planted on sandy soils but overall yields were as expected. Large temperature differentials from night to day have resulted in wines with excellent natural sugar/acid balance.

Viticulture

Trained onto two wire vertical trellises with both wires mechanically pruned back to 2 buds. The canopy is managed through reduced water to restrict its vigour, increase both colour, and flavour intensity.

Grapes were harvested during the cool of the night to retain freshness and varietal character. Then they were destemmed and crushed into a pneumatic press to be gently pressed to extract juice. Then the juice was clarified before being inoculated with specifically chosen yeast strains designed to bring out the varietal characters of the wine. Fermentation was carried out in a stainless steel tank at cold temperature 14-15 C which allows a long fermentation to retain freshness and varietal aroma. Furthermore, the wine was stored in stainless steel tanks and stirred on lees to produce mid palate complexity and to create texture and mouthfeel before being fined, finished, and bottled.

Crooked Mick is a bushman from Australian folklore who lived in the mythical Speewah. A giant of a man, some say he could shear a massive number of sheep in no time flat, kick crocodiles up to the moon and move mountains. Tall tales or not, Crooked Mick is a legend as are the wines of Victoria.