Nose
The nose is striking; earthy, dusty, brambly characters backed up by blackberry and cassis fruits. Less overtly fruity than the Leston, this wine has layers of complexing aromas.
Palate
The palate is intense – with greater concentration than the 2001 vintage, cassis flavours with cedary oak influences of great length. The textural complexity of this wine is typical of old vine Cabernet Sauvignon.
Growing Conditions
A classical vintage in the SouthWest of Western Australia. A generally cooler vintage than 2001, it resulted in wines of greater elegance and fine tannin. The wines demonstrate cool climate spices and herbal characters rather than overt fruit. This wine is sourced from only the highest regarded vineyards and is given extraordinary attention in the vineyard; canopy management is designed to maximise fruit exposure to the sunlight and yields are low to achieve concentration in the grapes.
Winemaking
Fermentation occurs in open topped stainless steel tanks with highly aerative pumpovers that are integral in tannin development. The Cabernet Sauvignon is given some 15 days on skins after completion of fermentation to further develop the tannin profile prior to going to French oak barriques; 75% new, 25% 1 year old. The wine was matured in the barrel for approximately 18 months. There was minimal fining and filtration performed.
