Situated right at the original heart of McLaren Vale, just north of main street on gently rolling hills, Maxwell's is the perfect place to make wine. There are five unique open fermenters, the idea being to recreate the gentle hand plunging methods of years gone by. Vinified over the course of several days to dryness, these fermenters provide a soft method of extraction, colour, flavour and tannin, from the skins and seeds into the juices. Holding only two tonnes each, they afford the team an opportunity to focus on premium small batch vinification techniques and to treat each parcel of fruit individually. The finished wine is matured sixteen months in a mix of seasoned and new French and American oak hogsheads.