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THREE HILLS HAPP

THREE HILLS HAPP. Background.

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THREE HILLS HAPP

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  1. THREE HILLSHAPP

  2. Background The Margaret River area hugs the coast between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin. Until the early 1990s all plantings were located in the centre and north of the region with very little south of the hamlet of Witchcliffe. In 1994 we pioneered a move to the south. Wines produced in the south are today re-writing the record book. The aromatic intensity of these wines is clearly a product of cooler ripening conditions and the softer, cloudier environment that prevails closer to the Southern Ocean. Rarely do daytime temperatures exceed 25 degrees Celcius and the air is noticeably more humid. Air from the continental interior reaches us there upon occasion, but much less frequently. Vignerons Hayden, Liz, Erl, Andrew, Lyn and Phil, taken in Dunsborough

  3. Three Hills Wines Three Hills wines are estate wines from our Three Hills vineyard in Karridale in the southern extremity of the Margaret River region. The late varieties ripen three to four weeks later in the south than in the north and benefit by the cooler conditions leading up to vintage that takes place in mid to late April. The vineyard is a substantial planting of 30 hectares and as many grape varieties. All operations are performed by hand and the management of the soil follows organic principles. The vines are dry farmed. Only the very best wines from the best blocks in the best years are released under the Three Hills label. The first releases came from the 1999 vintage. All the releases thus far have been red wines. In 1995 two white wines from the 1994 vintage will be released under the Three Hills label. There will be a varietal Viognier and a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc that we will call ‘Eva Maria’.

  4. Three Hills Charles Andreas 2002 The Charles Andreas is the best Bordeaux style blend we can put together from the fruit we have available. We can select from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. However in 2002 the best blend was 92% Cabernet sauvignon which according to Australian labelling laws qualifies this wine as a varietal Cabernet sauvignon. The wine has an intense aroma of red berry fruit, jubes, mint and a slight black olive note with typical Margaret River leafy Cabernet characters. The palate is medium to full-bodied with great flavour intensity and a fleshy mouth-feel. The palate is driven by blackberry flavours and those regional leafy characters, with hints of tobacco, mint and cedar. The tannins are silky, the flavour incredibly long with slightly drying tannins on the finish and a berry aftertaste. The 2002 Charles Andreas was adjudged the best Cabernet of its year in the Mount Barker show in 2005. The 2003 Charles Andreas that has been in bottle for a year is superior. The 2004 Charles Andreas that is about to go to bottle is better again.

  5. Three Hills Shiraz 2002 The Shiraz is the Three Hills flagship and the 2002 is without doubt the best shiraz made since the great 1999 vintage. The wine is black in colour and has an intense aroma of plums, Christmas cake, violets and cedar with a slight minty/eucalypt note. It is a full-bodied, intensely flavoured wine with a velvety mouth-feel. The palate is concentrated and ripe with plum, Christmas cake and stewed red fruit characters. Some nice cedary oak is completely soaked up by this wines powerful and persistent fruit. The tannins are dense but still soft and velvety and give the wine a great texture and length. The 2002 Three Hills Shiraz was adjudged best of class in the Sheraton Wine Show in 2005 and this position was later confirmed in an extensive tasting carried out by ‘All About Town’ magazine some months later.

  6. Happs Wines Happs wines are made from grapes grown at both the Three Hills and our much smaller Dunsborough vineyard. The first release of wines under the Happs label occurred in 1981. The earliest wine of the modern era appeared from the Margaret River region in 1967. It was produced by Vasse Felix. In the seventies wines by Moss Wood, Cullens, Cape Mentelle and Leeuwin Estate also appeared. Today there are three hundred producers in the state and most of them are in that part known as Margaret River.

  7. Happs PF RED Background: This is the age of concern for the environment and for ourselves. 'Chemicals' are suspect, whether in the soil, the crops, or by way of processing additives. The fear is that the chemical ends up in us, and as they used to say, "does us a mischief". Australia's aridity and its isolation helps to keep us free of fungal diseases and old world insect nasties. We, and our plants, probably breathe the cleanest air on this planet. These are significant natural advantages. Australian winemakers are at the forefront of winemaking technology in producing clean, attractive, fruity wines. The most important contributing element to this phenomenon is well-ripened grapes and the use of non-chemical options to maintain the health of a wine prior to bottling such as minimal handling, refrigeration, inert gas and filtration. It is possible to make wine with very low levels of preservative and in the case of P. F. Red we have a wine so carefully made that it requires none at all. That care begins with hand harvesting. Some of us have acquired a sensitivity to sulphur dioxide and this wine is one that will not inflame that condition. Current Release: PF RED 2004 The chief grapes used in this vintage are Grenache 50%, Merlot 26%, Tinta Cao 16%. Graciano 5% and Cinsaut 3% A blend of Mediterranean varieties that is intensely fruity and ready for immediate consumption. Colour: Intensely purple – a clear indication the wine has escaped the harmful effects of oxidation despite the absence of the antioxidant sulphur dioxide. Aroma: Fresh and clean with cherry and dark fruit characters combining with some attractive charry oak. Palate: Young and fresh with intense berry fruit flavours and savoury confectionary notes. The oak is apparent but the fruit easily matches it. A testament to careful winemaking Life: PF Red will hold its condition in bottle as well as any wine with 'preservative'. A minimum of five years may be expected. A recent tasting of all our PF Reds since 94 confirmed the point. There is little to be gained however in cellaring it beyond 4 years of age. It is not our aim to produce such a wine, rather, to produce a wine that can be consumed with satisfaction from release. PF Red is not entered into wine shows.

  8. Happs CABERNET MERLOT Background: Cabernet Merlot is a blend that Happs released first in 1982. We have always felt that the merlot grape enhanced cabernet and never released a straight Cabernet Sauvignon after the 1981. Cabernet at 65% has the dominant role yet Merlot at 35%, is more than a minor player. Indeed tasters often suggest that the Merlot is dominant. Merlot extends the flavour, enhances the finish and performs in a very positive fashion. The winemaking process begins in the vineyard. Maturity must be reached regardless of birds, rain or hungry kangaroos. These are the last grapes to be picked and the pressure is considerable. We hand pick. The crusher is set up to destalked without crushing, the berries then pumped, largely intact, to an overhead fermenter to remain on skins for a long slow fermentation.. The cap is thoroughly irrigated during and following fermentation to achieve an even temperature distribution and a complete extraction of all those components that make a red wine so highly coloured and flavoured. The Malolactic fermentation in recent years has taken place in small wood that the wine moves to as soon as it leaves the skins. Whereas in the past we have made great use of 450 litre puncheons we today use 225 litre barriques for the extra air that infiltrates the wine and the brighter aromas that develop. After 12 months in barriques during which it is racked several times the wine is lightly filtered and bottle aged for six to twelve months prior to release. Current Release: CABERNET MERLOT 2002 Colour: Deep crimson with a purple rim. Bouquet and Palate: The generosity of fruit is the wines most appealing flavour characteristic, showing ripe berry characters that comprehensively mask the abundant tannins. The wine shows a range of flavours in succession. It is complex, yet supple. There is a deliberately restrained acidity that permits the play of other flavour components. Cabernet Merlot should complement the main course and yet agreeably accompany the sweets. Cellaring: The fruit acts as a velvet glove to surround and balance a considerable quotient of tannin. This yields early drinking pleasure. Red wines live on tannins and alcohol and this wine will therefore repay cellaring. Only then will all components thoroughly integrate and the wine present its softest, most whimsical face.

  9. Happs FUCHSIA Background: Fuchsia is the product of some years of experiment with rose styles. It is a genuine Happs original. It is never entered in a wine show because it comes streaking out of left field, owing nothing to anything that precedes it or any desire to make a wine that meets show specifications. The uniqueness of this wine and of course it’s quality have made this wine style synonymous with Happs. Fuchsia is made without skin contact from predominantly red grape varieties. The abundant colour pigments of our red grapes are located within the grape skin. A gentle pressing yields a juice of light colour without special effort. The result is salmon pink. We pay particular attention to any factor that might cause astringency in the wine as tannins are a natural part of red grapes but need to be minimised in this style. We use a long slow gentle pressing regime on large batches in a press with a high ratio of screen to volume, and minimal mixing cycles. This care in processing gives cleaner juice with less grinding of the berries and less astringency in the finished wine. In order to retain some residual sweetness we rely upon refrigeration which can be used to arrest the activity of fermenting yeast. The wine is then clarified and sterile filtered preventing further fermentation. From the stage where the fermentation is stopped until the wine reaches the bottle, it is kept cold. It therefore tends to retain much of the carbon dioxide that is natural to newly fermented wine. This becomes an important feature of the style and assists its longevity. The grapes used are predominantly, but not exclusively Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz. Current release: FUCHSIA 2004 Generously aromatic, light pink and spritzig. Full flavoured, soft, vibrant, fruity, and very, very popular. Made predominantly from some of the 19 red varieties we grow. Balances a small amount of sweetness against the tannins that are part and parcel of red grapes. Colour: Pale pink with purple tinges maturing to a light onion skin colour with age. Bouquet: The wine has a voluminous aroma akin to Rambutans and Lychees that intensifies over the first two years. It owes its character to classic red grape varieties grown in a favourable environment. Palate: A quite delicious balance between berry flavours, soft acidity, some sweetness and the inevitable slight astringency that is to be expected from red grape varieties. The slight effervescence cleanses the palate and lifts the aromas. Life of the wine: Rose styles are usually consumed early. Observation over many years confirms that Fuchsia has the capacity to develop in the bottle and retains its pleasant flavours for seven or more years.

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