winemaking

Sauvignon Blanc

The handpicked fruit is whole bunch pressed. One third of the juice is transferred to old French oak barrels for fermentation with the remainder going to stainless steel tanks. The wine is fermented naturally without yeast additions. Once fermentation has ceased the wine is sulphured to prevent malolactic fermentation. Wine is assembled and bottled at approximately six months of age.

Chardonnay

The handpicked fruit is whole bunch pressed and transferred to new and used French oak. The wine is fermented naturally without yeast additions. Once fermentation has ceased, the wine is sulphured to prevent malolactic fermentation. Our desire is to retain all the freshness of the naturally occurring acidity. The wines are not battonaged resulting in a finer more elegant wine. Up to 30 per cent new oak is used, the remainder being one to three year old barrels.

Pinot Noir

All of the Pinot Noir fruit is hand picked and 100 per cent de-stemmed into open vat fermenters. The fruit is chilled to approximately 8-10 degrees and then allowed to warm up ambiently. Spontaneous fermentation occurs between four to eight days later. Cap management is via hand plunging as well as a computer controlled mechanical plunger. Once the fermentation is complete (between days 14 to 20), the wine is pressed and transferred to French oak barrels. Up to 30 per cent new wood is used and the wine is bottled after 12 months. The Morillon Pinot Noir is a specially selected parcel of fruit. This wine is made exactly the same way, but it is allowed to mature in oak for another six months.

Shiraz

All of the Shiraz fruit is hand picked and 100 per cent de-stemmed into open vat fermenters. The fruit is chilled to approximately 8-10 degrees and then allowed to warm up ambiently. Spontaneous fermentation occurs between four to eight days later. Cap management is via hand plunging as well as a computer controlled mechanical plunger. Once the fermentation is complete (between days 14 to 20), the wine is pressed and transferred to French oak barrels. Up to 30 per cent new oak is used and the wine is bottled after 18 months. The Rimage Shiraz is a specially selected parcel of fruit. Both the Port Phillip Estate Shiraz and Rimage Shiraz are made in the same way.

Closure Selection

Port Phillip Estate carefully selects the most appropriate closure for each wine it produces. The closure is chosen based on quality, consistency and permeability. All estate grown wines are sealed with Diam. This closure is a conglomerate cork which has been treated to remove all volatile compounds including those responsible for cork taint. It is 100 per cent consistent and available in a range of permeabillities. For more information about this closure, please visit www.oeneoclosuresusa.com