Tasting Notes

Wine Making Notes

A mild growing season associated with moderate crop led to slow and even ripening during harvest 2021, preserving good acidity and balance while intensifying varietal characters, especially in white varieties and early reds. The late part of the harvest saw some early fall rains and some late red varieties’ concentration was affected, especially in southern Margaret River. Only those with fastidious attention to details managed to attain fully ripened Cabernet Sauvignon in 2021 to make high quality wines. Our vineyards in the Wilyabrup area fared well, having low yields and open canopies. The fruit was selectively machine harvested in from 14th to 18th April 2021, during the early hours of the morning to get the fruit cool to the winery. 

The selectively harvested fruit was received at the winery before the first lights of the day and immediately destemmed, lightly crushed just to split the berries and put into a fermenter for a 3 day cold soak. Once the ferment started, the ferment was worked with remontages (pump-overs) 2 to 3 times daily, with one delestage (rack and return) mid-way through ferment. The must was pressed at full dryness after 2 weeks on skins and went straight to barrels for malo-lactic fermentation and aging. On this batch, we used only French oak, 30% new and the balance 2 to 4 years old. The best barrels were selected and blended in November 2022 and the wine was bottled that December, filtered but without fining or stabilization.

The wine consists of our highest quality blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon from old vineyards in Wilyabrup, majority being from Glamorgan Vineyard and a combination of Clone 126, Houghton Selection and Clone 337. The blend was perfected with a small addition of Petit Verdot (5.8%).

Oak

Predominantly French - 30% new / 70% older. 

Alc %

14.5%

Varietals

Cabernet Sauvignon

Nose

Candied cherry, dark chocolate, orange rind with hints of cassis and violets. After some time, an attractive cedary cigar box reveals itself, with an element of composted earth and very faint dried herb nuance.

Palate

The wine breathes elegant, a modest frame with intense fruit flavours reigned in precisely with ample fine grain tight knit tannin to afford a dry finish urging for food. Blackcurrant, plum and strawberry jam flavours carry through to the finish.

Food Pairing

Koji-Rubbed Filet Mignon with roast baby carrots and garlic cloves.

Allergens

Contains Sulphites.