Hypnos
Hypnos is the mythological personification of sleep who dwells in the underworld in a cave where day and night meet. The waters of the Lethe – the river of forgetfulness – flow through the cave. Hypnos lays on his soft couch, surrounded by his many sons, who are the bringers of dreams. Hypnos is said to be a calm and gentle god who helps mortal humans in their time of need.
Vineyards
Shiraz
The Shiraz is from 2 blocks either side of the main road in Stanley Flat, just north of the Clare township. These 30 year-old vines growing in hard-packed soil produce tiny, intense berries. The resulting wine is vibrant purple, and has an amazing earthiness to go along with the fruit and spice of good Clare Shiraz.
Pinot Noir
Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is the foil for the Shiraz. The combination of clone (20 year-old MV6) and location (Woodside, elevation 390m) produced a relatively weightier Pinot Noir with juicy, richer red fruit flavours and a complex mix of floral and spice aromas – the perfect companion to the predominant Shiraz component of the blend. Grapes from both Woodside and Clare were handpicked and bunch sorted at the crusher.
Winemaking
Both varieties were wild fermented separately in small open vessels after a short cold soak, with the Shiraz having 5% whole bunches and the Pinot Noir 15%. Following short periods of extended maceration, the Pinot was pressed direct to small old French oak while the Shiraz was settled before transfer to barrel. 40% of the Shiraz spent 12 months in a new French oak puncheon before going to small, old French oak. Both varieties had 18 months maturation time before bottling without fining or filtration. Blending Shiraz and Pinot to achieve the best balance between the 2 was fascinating, but more challenging than expected. Many hours were spent trialing different combinations before we hit the sweet spot that makes the most of the interplay between these unlikely bedfellows.
