Nose

A powerful and complex nose, full of dark berries and spicy, mocha notes.

Palate

This wine is intense and complex, it will keep evolving in the glass. Up front there's blackberries and cassis. It's perfumed with a floral lift and has a definite savoury edge. The French oak adds another layer with cedar and mocha notes. The tannins are powerful, yet also chalky and soft. Underneath there is a refreshing acid balance, which combines with the tannins to give a wonderfully long and lingering finish with a beautiful line through the palate. With 70% new French oak, this wine is still so young and whilst remarkable now, with careful cellar maturation for 15 years or more, this limited release Prendiville Cabernet Sauvignon will certainly reward the patient. (A harmless deposit may form in the bottle during cellar maturation and decanting is recommended prior to serving).

Growing Conditions

The mild spring conditions merged into a warm and dry start to summer, with the vines on track slightly earlier than normal. These conditions were interrupted in mid-January 16, with 70mm of rain falling in the vineyard due to a tropical rain event. With this moisture came the challenge of increased disease pressure on the fruit - 2 weeks out from the white harvest (leading to a very stressed Viticulturalist and Winemaker). Meticulous Vineyard management prevented any occurrence of disease and saw all the fruit through to optimum maturity. For the reds, it gave them a much appreciated drink in the lead up to harvest in late March. Despite this challenge, all fruit harvested are of exceptional quality, showing intense varietal characters.

Winemaking

This ensures optimal ripeness and generosity in the wines produced. There are twelve old vine Cabernet Sauvignon blocks on the Estate. Only the best was utilised to make this release. After crushing and de-stemming, this select parcel of hand-picked Cabernet fruit was inoculated with a selected yeast strain and fermented in small 5 tonne open fermenters. The traditional method of pumping over was employed during fermentation to optimise colour, flavour and tannin extraction from the fermenting must. At the end of ferment, the wine was pressed and transferred to oak barrels. After13 months of barrel maturation, only the best 18 barriques were put aside for this release of the Prendiville Cabernet Sauvignon. Each bottle is individually numbered.

Appearance

Dark ruby red with a vibrant magenta hue.

Food Pairing

This wine is vegan & vegetarian friendly.