A special limited release of age-worthy Cabernet sourced from one of the Alpine Valleys’ oldest vineyards.
$44.00
Released April 2023
I have known Kay and Allan Souter, the current owners of the old ‘Rosewhite Vineyard’, since 2004, when I borrowed a bit of winemaking equipment and in return, made some wine for them. Established in 1982, it is a modest little plot, just five acres on a well-drained north-facing site with granitic soils. The vineyard has small volumes of Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Shiraz but it is the Cabernet Sauvignon that has always stood apart for me. The Souter’s winemaking venture has been secondary to their Melbourne-based professional lives, but for close to twenty years they have quietly produced small volumes of lovely wine under their eponymous wine label.
Recently, Allan and Kay decided that retirement from professional life should also extend to their winemaking ventures and in 2021, a cool and mild season, a parcel of slow ripened Rosewhite Cabernet came my way. It was an opportunity too good to be missed.
This small parcel of Cabernet was hand harvested in perfect condition in the second week April. It was chilled, crushed and cold soaked prior to natural ferment in an open pot with ex
tensive hand plunging. At the conclusion of ferment, it was basket pressed and matured in French barriques (30% new) for eleven months, retaining malo lees for texture and complexity.
The 2021 Mayford ‘Rosewhite’ Cabernet Sauvignon is perfumed, balanced and ageworthy. Fragrant with notes of violet, cassis, plush dark fruits and cocoa, the palate is full bodied and supple with sinewy varietal tannins.
Drink 2022-2040.
Bottled February 2022
Bottled under screwcap.
Mayford 2021 Tempranillo
“This is a benchmark example of the variety, with enticing, deep, dense purple colour and oodles of ripe bramble and dark black fruit aromas, a rich body and a swath of fine, powdery but supple tannins that flood the mouth.”
Max Allen, Financial Review Magazine – November 2022
$44.00
Released November 2022
A cool and European style of season produced super elegant, intensely aromatic and structural Tempranillo with enormous aging potential. The 2021 harvest was two-three weeks later than usual and the crop enjoyed the benefits of long, slow ripening without extreme temperatures.
Tempranillo was hand-picked in twelve small parcels between 8 March and 6 April. Each separate batch was chilled and cold soaked prior to natural ferment in open pots with extensive hand plunging. Some batches had a percentage of stalk and whole bunch inclusion and others, extended post ferment-maceration.
Each wine was then basket pressed before being put to barrel for maturation in French barriques (25% new) for eleven months, retaining malo lees for texture and complexity before blending and filtration.
Perfumed and plush with aromas of black cherry, musk, sarsaparilla and charred meats. The palate shows poise and balance. It is mid-weight with fleshy dark fruits, black cherry and sarsaparilla, spice, bitter chocolate, and char, licked together with fine, powdery, tongue-coating tannins.
Beautifully elegant and balanced.
Drink 2022-2035.
Bottled February 2022
Bottled under screwcap.
Mayford 2019 Shiraz
“Some wines, from the first sip, just seem to say: I’ve got this. This is one of them. It has a brooding depth, lots of top notes and all the gaps filled in between. It tastes of black cherry and plum, blueberry and ground coffee, sweet spice, cream and fragrant herbs. It hits and it carries and it lingers. In fact the finish of this wine is quite something, not just because of the assertive-but-finessed tannin but because of the extra linger; the way it stays on until the job is completely done.
No stone in this wine is unturned.”
95+ Points
Campbell Mattinson – The Wine Front
$44.00
Released November 2022
2019 brought another excellent season- warm and dry with moderate yields and small- berried fruit in perfect condition.
The Mayford vineyard currently has 14 different clones of Shiraz planted, many of which are hard-to-come-by heritage clones. Each brings a different expression of the variety and contributes complexity and interest to the overall blend. The new clonal plantings give perfume and fragrance- the original 26 year-old Shiraz block bringing maturity, depth and power.
Small parcels of Shiraz were selectively hand-picked over the first three weeks of March 2019 and vinified separately according to clone and harvest date. Each batch was chilled and cold soaked prior to spontaneous fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Complexity was enhanced by varying times on skins, percentages of whole berry/bunch, degrees of post ferment maceration and of course a diverse range of cooperages. Oak maturation was in French barriques for 18 months, 30% new.
Lusciously complex Shiraz from a warmer vintage in the Alpine Valleys.
A heady mix of violets, coffee liqueur, anise, blood plums, dried herb, spice and smoked hickory greet the nose. Smooth, textural and balanced, the palate shows whole-bunch complexity and plenty of downright deliciousness.
Drink 2023-2035.
Bottled October 2021
Bottled under screwcap.
Mayford 2018 “Ovens Crossing”
Opening with intrigue, in a style reminiscent of some of the great Italian wines that are highly structural yet beautifully perfumed – think Nebbiolo or perhaps Aglianico. The dark, tarry undertones are interlaced with fragrant, earthy aromatics; cigar box, chicory, red currant, musk and marzipan.
Slowly as the lid opens, the great complexity of this wine becomes apparent. The palate is medium weight, but smooth and integrated with dark luscious fruits, spices and savoury tobacco leaf characters. It has length and liveliness with sinewy tannins that wire together the skeleton of this unique and delicious wine.
$55.00
Released August 2022
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
The 2018 vintage in Porepunkah was outstanding.
Solid winter and spring rains heralded a cool start to summer, followed by a prolonged warm and dry autumn. These conditions produced good fruit set, even veraison and enabled full tannin and flavour development- and thus structural, balanced and complete wines that are amongst some of the finest that we have made at Mayford.
WINEMAKING & TASTING NOTES
The distinct diurnal range of the sub-alpine Mayford vineyard in Porepunkah provides ideal conditions for ripening Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, the two heroes of this unique blend. Warm daytime temperatures allow aromas to intensify and tannins to mature fully, whilst cool nights assist with the retention of delicate aromatics and natural acidity.
Small parcels of low-cropping Tempranillo were hand-picked from the ridge of the original Tempranillo block in early March, and the Cabernet Sauvignon some three weeks later. Each batch was chilled and cold soaked before undergoing natural yeast fermentation in small open fermenters, then basket pressed, just prior to dryness, to finish fermentation and MLF in oak.
Nominally allocated at pressing for the Ovens Crossing blend, these components were put to French oak barriques- 50% new – for 11 months and then blended and returned to older oak for a further 11 months. A further 28 months of bottle maturation allowed the oak, dense tannin and dark fruit to work their way into balance for winter 2022 release.
Opening with intrigue, in a style reminiscent of some of the great Italian wines that are highly structural yet beautifully perfumed – think Nebbiolo or perhaps Aglianico. The dark, tarry undertones are interlaced with fragrant, earthy aromatics; cigar box, chicory, red currant, musk and marzipan.
Slowly as the lid opens, the great complexity of this wine becomes apparent. The palate is medium weight, but smooth and integrated with dark luscious fruits, spices and savoury tobacco leaf characters. It has length and liveliness with sinewy tannins that wire together the skeleton of this unique and delicious wine.
Drink 2023-2035
Bottled February 2000
Mayford Ovens Crossing is made in limited volumes from exceptional vintages.
Mayford 2021 Chardonnay
With the 2021 release, Mayford Chardonnay is taken to a new level. Tight, poised and seamless, it is ready to weather the tests of time.
SOLD OUT
Released June 2022
A mild winter followed by a wet spring in 2020 preceded a cool start to the 2021 vintage cycle. The summer was cool and uncharacteristically wet, without the sharp spikes in temperature that often characterise the start of the ripening season. Autumn continued in a cool pattern, allowing grape ripening to occur in an unhurried fashion.
In 2021 the Chardonnay was hand-picked in small parcels between 17th February and 7th March. Each batch was chilled down before whole bunch pressing directly to French oak barriques (25% new). By virtue of this sequential filling process, no two barrels are alike; the first cuts of each press cycle are clean, fruit forward and elegant, the latter cuts with higher solids levels, producing more savoury and textural wines.
In oak the juice underwent fermentation by indigenous yeasts and partial malolactic fermentation. No acid additions were made. Matured in barrel with regular lees stirring for 11 months prior to blending and filtration.
With the 2021 release, Mayford Chardonnay is taken to a new level. Tight, poised and seamless, it is ready to weather the tests of time.
Citrus blossom, brulée, lemon posset … grilled nuts and crusty bread. It smells delicious and inviting, yet no one part dominates.
It is lusciously textured, with flavours that last and last, collected by gentle, lingering acidity.
Restrained, refined, elegant yet powerful … it is a fine steed harnessed, but with energy and stamina to go the mile.
Drink 2023-2040.
Bottled February 2022
Bottled under screw cap