Hand-picked · patiently made
Good fruit.
A light
touch.
Pick at the right moment, handle it gently, and give each variety the cellar treatment it asks for.
Read the field notes
Estate index Hand-picked · patiently made
Pick at the right moment, handle it gently, and give each variety the cellar treatment it asks for.
Read the field notes
FROM THE ROWS · INTO THE CELLARThe approach
McIvor Estate's grapes are hand-picked, allowing the fruit to be handled gently and each variety to be harvested at the ripeness best suited to the wine it will become.
From there, the approach changes with the fruit: tank or barrel, shorter or longer skin contact, older oak or a considered mix of barrels. The method serves the variety rather than forcing every wine through the same recipe.
The same principle carries into the olive grove—harvest carefully, process varieties separately, then guard the oil from light and air.
Hand harvest and careful timing protect the condition and character of each parcel.
Tank, barrel and smaller open fermenters are used according to the style and fruit in front of us.
Oak format, age and duration are selected to build texture and structure without drowning out the vineyard.
In the cellar
The broad method is traditional and hands-on. The detail changes by variety, season and the character of each parcel.
Pressed on arrival, fermented in tank and bottled early to retain freshness. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation.
Picked and pressed together, then co-fermented in barrel. Around five to six months in barrel builds texture while retained acidity keeps the blend lively.
Picked for freshness and red-cherry character, then fermented in small open fermenters. Older French oak barriques support the fruit for up to 12 months.
Fermented in small open vessels with careful extraction. Extended time on skins helps stabilise colour and tannin before older French oak and bottling at around 12 months.
Picked at optimal ripeness, open-fermented and aged in a mix of American and French oak barriques. The wines spend around 18 months in oak before bottling.
New graft material from South Africa, France and California is expected to yield in the next couple of years. Its final cellar path will be guided by that first estate fruit.
The other pressing
The estate's oil varieties are mechanically harvested, kept separate and cold pressed. After settling, the oil is stored so it is shielded from light and air, preserving freshness through the year.
Current releases bring the vineyard, cellar and grove together in one estate collection.
Return to the rows
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