Jack out the Box – Fer 2019
Silver Medal – Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show 2020
| Vintage |
2019 |
| Grape Variety | 100% Fer |
| Oak maturation | 14 months – 50% new French and 50% 1 year old. |
| Alcohol | 13.4% Alc/Vol |
| Release date | September 2022 |
| Colour |
Deep red with red-purple hue. |
| Aroma |
Ripe and concentrated with a fragrant perfume of violet and incense. There are ripe dark fruits of currant and mulberry with pepper and lead pencil, which are balanced by more complex notes of damp earth and cedar oak. |
| Palate | Full, firm and structured with fine grain tannins. Once again, ripe dark fruits show through with a slight hint of pepper. |
| Food matches | Beef eye fillet, prosciutto wrapped venison with roasted vegetables. |
| Peak drinking |
Drinking well upon release but has the potential to evolve and impress towards 2030. |
Viticulture
Fruit to make the Fer was sourced from a premium vineyard in Margaret River. Close monitoring and analysis of these vines leads to shoot or bunch thinning by hand if required to obtain the perfect balance for good exposure and healthy ripening. A philosophy of minimal inputs in this premium block allows the unique combination of variety, soil type and microclimate to shine through and produce a parcel of fruit with true character. The 2019 vintage was cool and mild producing ripe flavour profiles and fine long tannin definition in the skins.
Winemaking
The fruit was harvested early in the morning and was crushed into a small open fermenter. The ferment was initially hand plunged four times a day for the first 3 days, then the frequency was slowly reduced for the following 3 days leading into draining and pressing off the skins. As Fer is a tannic variety, close attention needs to be paid to the level of extraction during the second half of fermentation on skins as well as during pressing of the skins. Press cuts are generally made early to avoid the extraction of undesirable tannins which can lead to a tough tannic wine. The
wine was then matured in two year old French barriques for 14 months.
Storage / Bottling
The 2019 Fer was bottled in September of 2020 to super premium reverse taper claret glass with a stelvin closure. This wine is drinking exceptionally well now and with prudent storage should continue to show well towards 2030.
Awards & Achievements
2020 Fer
Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2022 | Silver
Perth Royal Wine Awards 2022 | Bronze
Wine Show of Western Australia 2022 | Bronze
Australian Small Winemakers Show 2022 | Bronze
Margaret River Wine Show 2022 | Bronze
2019 Fer
Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show 2020 | Silver
Wine Show of Western Australia 2021 | Bronze
Australian Small Winemakers Show 2021 | Bronze
Royal Hobart Wine Show 2021 | Bronze
2018 Fer
James Halliday Wine Companion | 91 points
Sydney Int Wine Competition 2020 | BLUE GOLD
Winestate Magazine – Equal top in category | 5 STARS
Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 | Silver
The Margaret River Wine Show 2019 | Silver
Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2020 | Silver
Wine Show of Western Australia 2020 | Silver
Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show 2020 | Silver
Wine Show of Western Australia 2019 | Bronze
Australian Small Winemakers Show 2019 | Bronze Margaret River Wine Show 2020 | Bronze
2015 Fer
James Halliday Wine Companion | 92 points
2014 Fer
Sydney Int Wine Competition 2018 – | TROPHY
“The Ted Radke Perpetual Trophy for Best Table Wine made from a Lesser Recognised Grape Variety”
Sydney Int Wine Competition 2018 – | BLUE GOLD
Sydney Int Wine Competition 2018 – | TOP 100
International Wine & Spirit Competition 2016 | Silver
Wine Show of Western Australia 2018 | Bronze
Australian Small Winemakers Show 2016 | Bronze
Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show 2016 | Bronze
