Sourced from a small block in the Greenock region of the Barossa, we made the decision to not produce a 2011 vintage after the epic 2010 due to tough climatic conditions. The vines that make up Exile were pruned severely and as a result of this and minimal water they produce extremely small yields.. Exile grapes are all hand picked and the grapes are selected in individual batches by winemaker and vigneron. The grapes are harvested then transported to the winery where they are destemmed and crushed individually to small static fermenters. Fermentation was brought on by the use of select yeast strains and the temperatures peaked at 28 degrees before chilling back to 20 degrees for the completion of fermentation. The fermenters were pumped over 3 times daily to ensure the perfect amount of colour and tannin was extracted from the skins. A small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon was allowed to stay on skins for a week of additional maceration after the ferments were complete. The batches were then pressed into new French barrels where they under went malolatic fermentation and are then aged for 18 months before final barrel selection, blending and bottled with minimal filtration.