Nose
Intense raspberry and perfumed floral high notes married with hints of blackcurrant and dark fruit jubes on the nose.
Palate
Juicy, mouth filling, ripe dark forest fruits with a red berry acidity supported by subtle spicy cedar, complimented by silky soft tannins providing a long and elegant finish. A wonderful example of this versatile variety.
Growing Conditions
Margaret River vineyards produced lower than expected grape yields across all varieties in vintage 2015. The cause can be traced back to adverse weather conditions that affected primordial bud formation, followed by a-typical cool and unsettled conditions in November and December 2015 which impacted flowering and fruit set. Winter was warmer than usual. Disease pressure was minimal, although birds such as Silver Eyes were a problem due to the delayed blossoming of marri flowers so the vineyard was netted. Once again the quality was exceptional in all varieties.
Harvest
The grapes were picked on March 9th.
Winemaking
The grapes were picked in the cool of the morning then placed in open fermenters where the must was innoculated with a neutral yeast and fermentation began. The cap was hand plunged four times a day in the early stages of the ferment, to extract colour and tannin. After 10 days the wine was left on the skins for extended maturation. The free run juice was drained and the fermented grapes were basket pressed. The wine then under-went a malolactic fermentation which softens the acid and racked to a mix of 50% new & 50% one and two year old French barriques where it matured for 12 months. The Cabernet Franc was bottled in July 2016. Can be enjoyed now or will age gracefully to 2019.
Appearance
Deep red with purple hues.
