After receipt of the fruit into our winery cellars, each parcel was gently de-stemmed and then quickly chilled to 4°C in the must lines prior to being transferred to stainless steel fermenters and cold soaked for a period of five days. The majority of the Cabernet Sauvignon was then transferred to a selection of fine grained, high quality French oak. The art of barrel fermentation is a practice that we have been perfecting in our winery for more than a decade. The fermenting must is gently mixed using our gas mixing system – each barrel afforded individual attention, twice daily. After primary fermentation, malolactic fermentation also takes place in barrel and then the upright barrels are carefully sealed with food grade silicon to allow an extended period of skin contact which softens the tannin profile and contributes to the sublime texture of the wine. The Merlot parcels received a week of cold soaking and then fermentation in stainless steel. Fractional Merlot pressings were used in the blend to add richness and density to the structure and texture. The Cabernet Fanc was fermented at relatively cool temperatures to preserve the aromatic quality of the variety. The wine then had a wonderful life in premium French oak barrels, starting with about 8 weeks on skins post fermentation. The heart and soul of The Legacy’s barrel program was maturation in Jean Louis Vicard barrels - a selection by the Cooperage of their finest 36 month old, fine grained and lightly toasted. The wine enjoyed 36 months maturation in a cool, temperature controlled cellar, allowing the oak to impart powerful savoury characters and textural richness.

The growing season in the lead up to vintage 2014 saw average autumn and winter rainfalls and temperatures in line with long term averages. The rainfall for spring was below average; however vine vigour was still good due to the presence of subsurface moisture from regular winter rains. During the first week of December there was a cool change and 16 mm of rain fell. The remainder of the month and the first half of January were dry and warm with thankfully no heatwaves due to regular cool changes. From mid-January to mid-February however, hot conditions prevailed. Harvest commenced early due to the warmer weather but then a big downpour of rain mid-February bought the hot conditions to an end and for the remainder of the month, the weather was mild with cooler than average temperatures. These cooler conditions retained acid levels and slowed sugar development thus crucially allowing adequate time for physiological ripeness. The mild conditions continued through March, allowing for ideal ripening conditions for the red varieties, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon.

The crafting of The Legacy could be described as a journey; one which began initially with the construction of the individual wines that make up the completed blend. Firstly, the Cabernet Sauvignon. The majority of the blend was sourced from a series of exceptional vineyard blocks on the Taylor family estate, including A70 and E20 from the St Andrews vineyard, and the W10 block, an older vineyard located on the Wakefield river flats. There was another parcel sourced from one of our long term grower partners in the Coonawarra region. Next, the Merlot. Again, the majority was sourced from the Taylor family estate whilst another small parcel came from the same grower partners in the Coonawarra region. Lastly, there was a small parcel of Cabernet Franc, selected for aromatic lift, and this too was sourced from the Coonawarra region. All of the fruit was harvested between late February and late March 2014.

Clare Valley

• Acid: 7.06

• Alc %: 14.5

• PH: 3.43

• Residual Sugar: 0.73

Up to 20 years from vintage. If enjoyed in its youth, decanting is recommended.