Great wine begins in the vineyard, De Bortoli use minimal handling and interference in the winery to preserve the important expressions of vineyard and fruit. They retain vineyards in diverse wine growing regions, each with its own regional style and affinity to certain grape varietals. Harvests of Cabernet Sauvignon are selected on the basis of ripeness, flavour profile and intensity. Components are crushed and cold soaked, inoculated and vinified at 22C to 25C for several days on skins for optimal extraction. Vat 9 completes full malolactic before being matured up to a year in a selection of finely coopered French and American oak barriques. Alcohol 14.5%