2026 The Mark of Cain
Named after the punk band Taras's band once opened for, and often played loud in the winery at night: simple, energetic and a little chaotic, which suits this high-toned Meunier from one of the oldest plantings in the Adelaide Hills.
- Meunier from Sam Virgara’s Uva vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley, planted in 1985 and dry farmed.
- 20% whole bunch, about 10 days on skins, four months in old French barriques.
- Pink florals, cherry, rhubarb and fennel seed; bright, crunchy and long.
- Grape
- 100% Pinot Meunier
- Vineyard
- Uva, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills
- Vine age
- 40 years (planted 1985)
- Soil
- Clay loam with quartz and ironstone
- Farming
- Dry farmed
- Alcohol
- 12.8%
- pH
- 3.61
- Total acidity
- 5.3 g/L
- Production
- 150 cases
Winemaking
Hand picked, with 20% of the bunches kept whole, into two one-tonne open fermenters with a few handfuls of stalks. Wild fermented, with the cap gently submerged for a little over a week, then basket pressed to old French barriques. Bottled after four months with only sulphite added. No fining or filtering.
Tasting Notes
Spring blossom and sour cherry, with rhubarb, a little aniseed and a hint of tropical fruit. The whole bunches bring a crunchy, sappy freshness; the tannins are fine and tight around a core of bright red berries. Juicy and energetic, with good length.
Critics
- James Suckling: 95 points (2025)
Distributed in Australia by Principal Wine.