"A first for Lake's Folly, this year's Red is a blend of Shiraz 47%, Merlot 34%, and Petit Verdot 19%. After harvesting our Shiraz, Merlot and Petit Verdot (and Chardonnay) grapes in 2022, we experienced very late harvest rainfall which impacted the Cabernet grapes, leading us to the decision to not harvest the Cabernet (the first time on record this has happened at Lake's Folly). The finished result: a unique, unprecedented blend - a cracking wine (albeit without our usual Cabernet component), though in very limited quantities this release! The fruit is open-fermented producing softer, more subtle tannins, and then transferred to large format casks for six months for settling, and then into small French oak barriques (new, one, and two-year-old) for approximately one year before bottling. Bright, lifted fruits of mulberries and hints of cedary oak. This wine is clean and vibrant with lovely richness from generous fruits; again, mulberries dominate the palate. Wonderful balance, perfect supporting French oak and fine-grained tannins - yum! Lovely as a young wine, though should also imagine it as a great 10+ years prospect - even without its typical Cabernet component." - Rodney Kempe, Chief Winemaker