Vintage this year started early with the picking our Sparkling Chardonnay base wine in late January. We have been very pleased with the response to the Sparkling. The first vintage was extremely popular and sold out within 4 months. Look out for the new release in early September.
The rest of vintage has been quite a challenge,starting off very dry and hot and looking like another drought year, but changing on the Labour Day weekend in March when we had 100mls of rain. Fortunately we had already organised harvest for the following Tuesday evening and picked our Shiraz and Chardonnay grapes while in peak condition. The rain put the rest of vintage back three weeks. We picked the Marsanne, Cabernet, Durif and Zinfandel in late March. We are expecting some very big, full bodied, excellent wines, as a result.
Warm Climate Royal Flying Doctors Wine Show 2009
As you are well aware Cape Horn Vineyard is in a warm climate region so we entered the Australia wide Show based in Dubbo NSW. We collected two trophies for the Best White Wine Single Variety and the Best Chardonnay of the Show.
2008 Marsanne
Low-yielding and carefully handpicked the Cape Horn Marsanne is an Australian benchmark,receiving numerous medals and excellent ratings. This vintage of Marsanne is bursting with varietal flavour, displaying complex honeysuckle and citrus characters balanced by tight acidity. Ready to drink now and sure to develop well over the next 5 years, this is a great alternative to some more commonun-oaked varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris.
2008 Chardonnay
By far one of our best Chardonnay’s produced to date; this wine has achieved the perfect balance of citrus and stone-fruit characters, crisp acidity and elegantly integrated oak.
It is fresh and vibrant perfect for drinking now and will cellar well for a number of years if you can hide it.
New releases:
Our 2009 Zinfandel is proving to be a very popular, easy drinking, addition to our red wine list.
Also known as Primitivo, this grape variety flourishes in the warm climate regions of Italy and California as well as here at Cape Horn in the Goulburn Valley. It has its own distinct varietal characteristics with a rich, robust, lengthy palate and light raspberry fruit. A fragrant, spicy wine, cellar for up to 3 – 4 years or drink now.
The 2nd Disgorging of the 2007 Sparkling Durif/Shiraz is due any day and we have been excited by the popularity and sales of this vintage under the new silver grey coloured label. This premium wine continues to improve with age. Great as an aperitif and wonderful with duck and rich meat dishes, exquisite with chocolate tart.
At the Vineyard
Once again a great night was had by all who gathered on the lawns at Cape Horn for the Annual Australia Day Concert with the exceptional talents of Echuca’s young jazz musicians on display.
Several weddings have been held over the summer months and the attractive riverside environment provides a wonderful backdrop to celebrate a special day. Bookings continue to expand each year with ceremonies, receptions and the full wedding package all being held here. From the banks of the river to large silk lined marquees, we cater for all types of weddings and functions.
With the extended ‘Indian Summer’ of the last few weeks many visitors have been enjoying picnics, lunches and barbeques on the lawns however we also offer a cosy fireside cellar door area when the weather changes over the winter months.
We have two new alpacas here at the vineyard named Zorro and Xavier; Zorro so named because of his mask-like patches of white contrasting with his brown colouring.
As a result of our shearing of the alpacas we now have for sale a selection of Alpaca/wool yarns for knitters plus dog coats in 3sizes, sleeping bags, quilts, pillows and large and small water proof vests. All are padded with the delightfully light but warm alpaca wool. Please contact us for more details or see at the Cellar Door.
