Nose
A brightly aromatic wine, violets, fresh plums, juicy red berries, fresh tobacco, burnt
caramel, hint of cedar and creamy espresso
Palate
Tightly wrapped and elegant, yet a super powerful core. Dark plumbs, black cherry pith.
Coffee, cedar and cigar adding toasted complexities. The tannins are fine yet obvious and the
length is astounding for such a young wine. A keeper and an award winner......
Growing Conditions
All fruit is estate grown. 2015 was another warm and dry year for Margaret River. Almost perfect
warm days and cooler nights typified what we expect. Then Autumn bought cooler days and
nights which lengthened our vintage and just allowed the reds to ripen that little bit more. The yields
were low, this was perfect for the Cabernet Sauvignon a particular stand out , refined and elegant,
yet with power and finesse. The tannin profile right from harvest was one of ripeness and fullness,
especially from the batches picked at exactly the right time.
Winemaking
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Malbec, 14% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot. Cabernet Sauvignon - this
is the same make as our Bartondale. The A+ barrels make the St Johns and Bartondale allocation.
Generally the more fruit driven barrels are selected for the St Johns. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
were matured in the tighter grained more elegant barriques. The Cabernet spends 40 days on
skins, then 13 - 18 months in new and used French oak barriques. Malbec - Made to highlight dark
colour and a rich mid palate. Spends 6 days on skins then goes into two new French oak barriques
and the balance was matured in 2-4 year old French oak barriques for 14 months. Barrel selected
for the blend. Adds weight richness and intensity. Merlot - 5-8 days on skins ensures red fruits and
soft tannins. Spends 14 months in 2-3 year old French oak barriques. Petit Verdot - The 2015 PV
was a fine example of the line and length this varietal can offer to the final blend. An intense lifted
aromatic component of the blend with fine tannins. In the winery the 4 varieties all preformed well
during ferment and careful oak selection meant the assemblage was a difficult and lengthy process.
We spend 2 days crafting the blend.
Appearance
Dark, blood red ruby.
