Our 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, these wines are ready to drink now or cellar.

A bright ruby colour marks this wine of apparent medium depth. Immediately, lifted and fragrant with ripe scents of red fruits - cherry, alpine strawberry and cranberry. Air brings changes, blurring into blue fruits but complexed with brown cardamom like spices, flint and a light herbal edged twiggyness from whole bunch fermentation. The palate lifts all of these fruit flavours further as there is a sense of real depth here with noticeable density to those fruit flavours plus camparis and dried raspberry notes coming forward. And this is all wrapped in silky, fine tannins plus a fresh red fruited acidity that adds line and length to those mouth filling dimensions. Fruit first and foremost, oak just a whisper of more brown spices. Length and persistence to burn.

Henk Vineyard, Aqueduct block. North facing at 225m above sea level. Planted in the red volcanic soils of Woori Yallock in 2008 using the MV6 clone and cropped at 2.9 t/Ha.

All grapes hand harvested and sorted prior to destemming 80% of the berries into an open fermenter with the balance being whole bunch inclusion. Fermentation proceeded naturally and lasted 21 days prior to pressing to a mixture of French oak barrels, of which 10% were new. Malolactic conversion was completed in barrel where the wine remained on its gross lees for 10 months followed by a further 6 months on lees in tank prior to bottling.

A long, late and cool growing season with very low crops delivering wines with exceptional flavour, freshness and balance. Flowering occurred in in late October, fruit set in December and harvested on March 19th at 13.0° baume.