Wine
Grace Farm is a young vineyard that is experiencing great success and winning awards on regional, national and international levels. The vineyard sits in the prime wine-growing sub region of Margaret River, Wilyabrup, where ideal conditions undoubtedly contribute to the quality of the grapes. The quality of the fruit and the resulting wines can also be attributed to a fine combination of viticulture and winemaking.
The Grace Farm SBS is old world meets new. The style favours complexity over simplicity by integrating the freshness of stainless steel tank fermentation with the flavour, structure and texture provided by approximately 10% new oak barrel fermentation. The style offers the possibility of enjoying the fresh fruit character of each variety when young, and showcases the strength of each in the blend, but it also allows the wine to age beautifully and develop texture over time.
Sauvignon blanc and semillon are the white varieties of Bordeaux, and in that region they offer a complex style often made in barrel and having barrel maturation with lees stirring to create a layered and textured wine. By having a 10% component of the SBS made this way, the benefits of this style balance the new-world fresh component of powerful tropical and citrus characters to create a harmonious experience for the consumer.
Chardonnay
The Grace Farm Chardonnay is Burgundian in style and aims to maximise weight, texture and length of flavour on the palate. The vineyard soil is a rich gravelly loam that provides plenty of flavour to the grape, which has intense stone-fruit richness when picked. Whole-bunch pressing helps to provide delicacy, and plenty of lees are left in the juice to provide depth and texture from the wild yeast ferment and nine months of French oak barrel maturation.
The Gin Gin clone planted at Grace Farm combined with the soil structure of the Wilyabrup sub region of Margaret River provide perfectly ripe fruit while retaining a high natural acidity, allowing a chardonnay with poise to be produced. It will age gracefully and build textures and flavours for many years.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The famed Wilyabrup duplex soil profile in which the cabernet sauvignon is planted provides Grace Farm with the unique ability to grow the fruit with minimal water while retaining a balanced, healthy vineyard canopy. Maximum flavours are achieved this way. By nursing this fruit through ten days of fermentation, taking care to maintain an elegant tannin structure, and then combining this with a 12-month maturation in well-seasoned French oak, the cabernet sauvignon is given the chance to speak for itself. Typical flavours of cassis and earth are derived from the clone and soil type, and the dry-grown fruit gives a depth of flavour that is unique to this sub-region.
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet sauvignon is selected for the Reserve label when it has the depth of flavour and fine ripe tannins that support reserving the wine. The 2012 Reserve was sourced mainly from the oldest planting of cabernet on the property, with a small percentage of malbec added at blending at the end of the barrel maturation phase to enhance mouthfeel and aromatics. The structure of this wine will allow for cellaring for up to 20 years.