Grapes are all hand picked from heirloom vineyards, bush vines planted between late 19th and early 20th century, the oldest dates back to 1854. Fruit is crushed into eight or six tonnes fermenters, the wild yeasts present on grape skins initiate fermentation. Vinification and cap skin management in open and static potter fermenters is controlled by the Yalumba designed cap plunger. The result is a wine with excellent depth of colour, richness and complexity. Matured twenty months in a high proportion of new French, American and Hungarian oak hogsheads, octaves and barriques. Yalumba are one of the few wineries in the world who retain their own coopers practising the ancient craft of barrel making.