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Superb delicate and enhancing fragrance of ripe black fruits, mulberry and black
cherry, woven with essence of blackberry and melded with seductive nuances of fine oak
maturation.
An outstanding, complex combination of fine concentrated black forest fruit flavours
gently caresses the mouth. The ripe fruits and tannins balance with the fruit acids in perfect
harmony with the hint of new oak spice. A wine seemingly gentle but full of concentrated power that lingers for minutes and leaves a rich, juicy, dry mouthfeel. This wine is an expression of the very best Cabernet fruit grown on the Churchview Estate each vintage. It is an outstanding example of Margaret River Cabernet at the highest level of quality.
The Cabernet fruit for this wine comes from two separate blocks, our oldest block that is on top of a rocky ridge with soils made up of gravel over deep clays; and the new block with a north facing aspect. Block 32, the old block, brings structure and definition. The new “Ray’s” block, brings the depth and weight of the fruit. Careful additions of organic inputs such as compost and fish emulsions encourage enough growth to fully ripen the fruit. Vintage 2018 was one of the greatest on record. The few very hot days allowed fruit to achieve excellent flavours with good balance of acidity. The reds are robust and powerful with great depth of colour, sweet, rich tannins and ripe, full flavours.
After harvest, the fruit is gently transferred into a static red fermentation vessel, along with a
Bordeaux yeast isolate, ready for fermentation. The fruit is left for 24-48 hours for a short, cold maceration before we begin pump overs, and if required some manual juice drain off. The pump overs are conducted twice a day for 14 days, then only once a day for 14 days. At the completion of the 28 days, the red must is tasted daily and then pressed into a stainless steel vessel for malo lactic fermentation to occur. All the new French oak barriques are filled at this stage for malo lactic fermentation to occur in oak. This batch is kept separate from the stainless portion for the whole maturation period. At the completion of malo lactic fermentation, the remaining wine is transferred into 1-2 year old French oak barriques for a 16 month maturation. After 4 months, the barrels are assessed for quality, and initial barrel selection is made for the first rack and return. At the completion of the 16 months, the barrels are then assessed for quality, and rated A, B or C, with A generally being used for The Bartondale.
16 months on oak
Deep core of purple hues.
