2016 Black Knight

The weeks leading up to harvest are when winemaker Jessica Servet knows whether there will be a Black Knight cuvee made that year. 2016 proved to be a very easy decision: “it was the most relaxed season I can remember, no heat spikes and very even ripening”, she recalls. The cuvee is typically made from the same favoured plots. Syrah, which makes up 80% of the blend, always comes from the “Rabbit” vineyard – distinct red and white clay in the soil produces an unbelievable freshness to the Syrah from this site. The Carignan (typically around 10% of the blend) always comes from the oldest 60-70 year old vines, high up on the hill above the winery. The Grenache is selected following vinification. For Jessica, the best expression of Grenache is based on picking it at exactly the right time. It gives you incredibly pure strawberry jam flavour with white pepper. When you capture both that sweet and spicy flavour in the wine you know you have got it right. Deep fragrant lifted nose, sweet and savoury spices (vanilla, roasted cloves), with lovely peppered cured meat and roasted blackberry fruit tones. Spicy forest fruits and more savoury, grilled meat and thyme notes on the palate intertwine with long, fine, silky tannins. The texture of the wine really stands out. The purity and spectrum of fruit is also noticeable from roasted strawberry, blueberry, blackberry fruit plus floral violets, lavender and liquorice notes. The balance is exceptional. Vibrant, fresh and an energised pulse on the finish with the delineated fruit flavours lingering long on the palate.