Planted in the 1990s, the Shiraz block within St Michaels Vineyard is a scant two and a half acres of superlative Terra rosa earth, sited under the east face of the Mt Camel Range. The fine red Cambrian clay loams overlay textured calcareous soils that can retain ground water, nourishing the vines when drought can be most vehement. Hand pruning and the most exacting standards of bunch thinning were applied to a select parcel of vines to encourage the growth of the most excellent Shiraz. Following hand picking, open fermentation on skins, hand plunging and a basket press, St Michael is treated to two years maturation in a combination of French and Russian oak hogsheads.