… I promise the mice will be incredibly well behaved!

Rob, Heather, and Lucy are on their way to Germany to cheer Emma on in the Berlin marathon this weekend. Go, Emma!

But never fear – it’s business as usual at the cellar bar!

(…of course, it is, we run the place anyway)

(oops… did I say that out loud?)

But what about the winery? How will our 2018 wines cope without Rob?

Well, as it turns out, it’s a pretty quiet time in the winery. Before he left, Rob made sure everything was going to plan and gave me an update on Somerled’s vintage 2018 wines.

Let’s find out what has been happening over the last couple of weeks…

2018 Chardonnay and Fumé Blanc

Both the ‘18 Chardonnay and ‘18 Fume are very close to the end of malolactic fermentation – there is now very little malic acid left in either of these wines.  They are both showing really nice “malo” character having a roundness and smoothness that this fermentation gives. The nutty, nougat flavours go so well with the fruit and oak flavours and aromas. 

At this stage, Rob had two options. He could wait for the fermentation to finish completely or he can stop it as is by adding sulphur dioxide (SO2). In the end, he decided to take the latter option – wanting to ensure the current malo influence stays put. 

Both wines are quite a long way from bottling- he will ensure they both get time to develop more complexity and richness from extended barrel maturation.

2018 Rosé

The ‘18 Rosé still has a long way to go with its malolactic fermentation.

It has been in tank in the winery where it’s been pretty cold, rather than in the barrel store. It may benefit from a gentle warming up to push it along a bit, but there is no great rush..

The wine is very pale and attractive but needs the malo to really finish it off.

Red wines

All the reds are tucked away and sitting quietly in barrel after a fairly recent racking.

The 2016 Shiraz will be the next one into bottle, but a month or two away still.

Sounds like a pretty good time to take a break to me!

And Rob may need that break with all the things we have planned for the remainder of the year. Keep an eye out on your email and on social media for news of all our upcoming events including this one…!

Vertical Shiraz Tasting with Rob – Sun 7 Oct

11.30 am – 1 pm

Join us for another of Rob’s famously mellifluous and relaxing sessions on Somerled Shiraz – going through all of the Shiraz that he’s made since 2005, including his inaugural Reserve Shiraz.

As if listening to the charming Rob for 90 minutes wasn’t enough, on the side we’ll pile on the warm anchovy sticks, cheese puffs, croques monsieur, and beautiful platters.

Join us and make all well in your world!

$70 per person

Book now! This one is going to sell out fast!