Vintage Conditions: The 2008 vintage in the Coonawarra was anything but average.  The preceding winter was drier than average, with some frost events which fortunately appeared to have little effect on our vines. Early spring rains and a wetter-than-average spring provided good levels of soil moisture which resulted in excellent bud-burst and strong vine health. Although the rest of summer was dry, it was also cooler than average, especially during February. These relatively cool dry Summer conditions were ideal for the gradual accumulation of essential grape sugars and flavours, resulting in good varietal definition for Cabernet Sauvignon. Coonawarra’s Maritime climate reduced the severity of extreme heat have experienced by most South Australian regions in early to mid-March 2008. As a result, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon vintage had yields slightly below average but showing excellent colour, ripeness and distinct regional flavour.

Winemaking: The key to providing premium high-quality wines from the vineyard is in the selection process.  Each Coonawarra vineyard was carefully monitored as ripening progressed and only those parcels exhibiting excellent potential in terms of varietal expression and colour intensity were set aside as candidates for St Hugo.  All grapes delivered to the winery were de-stemmed and crushed into static fermenters.  Extraction of colour, flavour and tannin was achieved by “pumping over” regularly, allowing the fermenting juice to percolate through the skins.  Once optimum flavour and tannin profiles were achieved, the wines were drained from the skins; the skins were then pressed with the pressing returned to the free-run.  Malolactic fermentation and 23 months’ subsequent maturation took place in very fine grain French oak and American oak hogsheads. Tasting of individual parcels revealed those that showed the distinctive regional and varietal characteristics required for St Hugo, and these were used to create the final blend.