Richard Hamilton ‘Sombre’ Tempranillo

Our Tempranillo vines are grown in a sand and black loam hill just to the south of the McLaren Vale township. In 2023, grapes on these vines were the last of our reds to ripen with harvest occurring in mid-April. On arrival at the winery, some juice was run off before destemming to better promote the texture of the wine with the must then yeasted in oak vats. We fermented the wine relatively cooly to promote freshness and elegance. The wine was pressed and spent a short time in older French oak hogsheads after malo-lactic fermentation. Our aim was to produce a contemporary, medium bodied style of wine where fruit played the essential role over oak influence. The wine was bottled in late July.