2021 Lethbridge Le Droit

Ray Nadeson and Maree Collis make two Bordeaux-inspired bistro reds: La Gauche, which is led by Cabernet Sauvignon, and Le Droit, the Merlot-based homage to the richer, rounder wines of the right bank of Bordeaux. The fruit for Le Droit is sourced from two sites: the Lethbridge home vineyard in the Moorabool Valley and another well-established vineyard just three kilometres away at lower elevation on the river flats. The latter was planted by Tim Harrop to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the 1990s. It’s a cool, low-vigour site with rocky basalt soils littered with quartz. The Lethbridge home site contributes Merlot and Cabernet Franc to the blend, both planted in the mid-1990s. The wine is 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Each parcel is destemmed and fermented separately before maturing for 18 months in super fine-grained new and one-year-old French wood. “Le Droit is characterised by a voluptuous palate of dark berry, liquorice, and spice,” says Ray.