Vibrant purple red. Lifted fragrant and fresh black and redcurrant fruit followed by jasmine like florals, ground spices, summer pudding and pannacotta. A secondary look with air shows whole bunch notes of spice and sauvage adding complexity. The palate is juicy soft and round, laced with black fruit, raspberries, white pepper and spices. Very much medium bodied, this has beautiful line of acidity that adds length and balance to the velvety, gentle core of sweet fruit. A pure, fresh, fragrant wine.

OAKRIDGE WINES 864 Winery Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Yarra Valley

OAKRIDGE WINES 864 Close Planted Block Shiraz, Yarra Valley

The 864 Henk Aqueduct Chardonnay carries complex aromas of struck match, white nectarine, fennel seed, and lime skin. Its palate is crystalline, and floral, with subtle mineral, toast, and vanilla bean nuances. The Aqueduct block, within Henk Vineyard, planted in 2008 on Woori Yallock’s red volcanic soils, is north-facing at 260 metres. The vines of Dijon 95 clone are farmed to yield 4.3 tonnes per hectare. Grapes are hand-picked and sorted before being pressed to French oak (20% new) as whole bunches. After fermentation, the wine rests on lees for 10 months in barrel, followed by 6 months in tank. Representing the pinnacle of winemaking at Oakridge, the 864 range are high-scoring, limited-release, single-block wines that stand out internationally as exceptional varietal examples.

The 864 range features exceptional wines from specific and single blocks, produced in small quantities and released in only the best years. An Oakridge 864 wine is terroir-driven, made to demonstrate the importance of time and place with every bottle, and always a tribute to tradition. The 864 Syrah is sourced from the Oakridge Vineyard, Close Planted Block. This vineyard is east-facing at 120 metres above sea level. Planted at 5,200 plants per hectare in the grey alluvial loams of Coldstream using the R6VW28 clone and cropped at 6.7 t/Ha. The wine is vibrant purple in appearance with a ruby hue. Opulently fruited on the nose, with aroma of dragonfruit, blueberry and plum leading to notes of cassis. Elements of black olive, green pepper, bunch spice and toast add complexity. The palate is expansive, textural and concentrated with a generous core of blue and purple berried fruits, long chains of plush velvety tannins are intricately woven within the fruit providing length and supportive structure. A subtle line of acid keeps the wine on point, never wavering. Pure, succulent and refined from start to finish.