Mother nature threw a fair bit at the old vineyard this year. It is truly a credit to the sight and the viticulturist that this wine is as good as it is.

In the winery the grapes were quickly crushed and the free run juice taken away and chilled. The clarified juice was then fermented with an aromatic yeast to give the wine some lift. It is the style we have become famous for, limey, tight but with an uncommon amount of body, courtesy of the ancient vineyard that we use. Bring on the oysters!

For the first time in 2008 we sourced fruit from another Semillon vineyard in the Hunter. This new vineyard threw quite strong Sauvignon Blanc like characters and we were tempted by several potential blending options. We looked at blending them, but in the end the old vines were kept separate and this wine is going into the Lucky Swine dozens while the other will go on tasting on Cellar Door, both labelled as Sows Ear Semillon.

If you want the other vineyard for a comparison, let us know.