Palate
In the temperate climate of the Margaret River region cabernet sauvignon is at home. As the maritime influences temper the extremes of seasons, cabernet thrives. The deep grave loams provide ample sustenance to the low to moderate yielding vines. From a season of warm conditions throughout, this wine has a strong presence. Aromas of dense berry and plum fruits are seasoned with cedar, sweet mint, cinnamon and vanilla. The fruit weight is opulent and the tannins while presently overt are ripe and give shape and length to the palate.
Growing Conditions
Margaret River began the growing season with a rain filled soil profile and full catchments. Late spring was cool and windy with damaging north westerlies wreaking havoc on early varieties. The effect on flowering and set in Chardonnay and Shiraz reduced yields notably. Beyond this blustery start, the vintage was uniformly warm to hot with a week of annoyingly intermittent rains in early April to keep us on our toes. Yields were average and thanks to the favourable summer, the wines produced from the 2014 vintage are full of bold and ripe varietal fruit flavours, bright acidity and supple tannins.
Winemaking
Vinification occurred in closed stainless steel fermenters with diligent cap management to extract fine fruit tannin and strong varietal flavour. Selected parcels remained on skins post the fermentation to further enhance the tannin profile while others were pressed at dryness to capture fruit vibrancy. After pressing, each batch is matured separately in order to build a wine history over time. Barrel maturation for 18 months in 40% new and 60% older, French oak barriques ensures the thorough integration of oak and grape tannins. The wine had egg white fining & light filtration before bottling
