Nose
A pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon - blackberry, olive and a fresh leafy lift makes this wine unmistakably from Margaret River.
Palate
Long, elegant and medium bodied with lovely mid-palate texture and fine, succulent "chamois" tannins.
Growing Conditions
A prolonged cool and wet growing season meant the vines were lush and healthy heading into ripening.
This resulted in later maturity, which was accentuated by the cool and wet ripening months – conditions
not experienced in Western Australia for more than 10 years. These conditions, coupled with the absence
of heat events, produced highly aromatic fruit with low phenolic levels and high natural acidity.
Winemaking
A special block of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Wilyabrup area was selected to make this wine to depict the
essence of the darker, black style of Margaret River Cabernet from this renowned wine growing region.
Handpicked fruit was crushed and destemmed before being cold soaked on skins prior to fermentation.
The wine was racked off lees into a combination of French oak barriques (225L) and hogsheads (300L)
where they underwent a short malolactic fermentation. After 16 months in barrel, and being racked
every 3 months, each barrel was individually tasted and assessed to determine the composition of the
final blend. The wine was then carefully blended following these trials and lightly fined with fresh, local
free-range egg whites before being filtered once and undergoing extended maturation in bottle prior to
release.
Appearance
Deep, purple red with a lovely bright purple rim.
Food Pairing
Succulent steak.
