Passing Clouds is a small hands on operation employing traditional techniques. The story began in 1973 when Graeme Leith and Sue Mackinnon decided that they wanted to brave the elements, face the challenges of the land and pursue the holy grail of making the best wine in the world. Sheltered by hills of ironbark forest, the Passing Clouds valley offers an ideal mesoclime for red varietals. Low rainfall and deep, well drained soils produce small harvests of intensely flavoured fruit. Cabernet and Shiraz grapes are hand picked and vinified in open fermenters, hand plunged, treated to malolactic and matured in a selection of seasoned and new, French and American oak hogsheads and barriques for a year. Alcohol 14.0%