vintage

A prolonged cool and wet growing season meant the vines were lush and healthy heading into ripening. This resulted in later harvest dates, accentuated by the cool and wet ripening months; conditions not experienced in Western Australia for more than ten years. These conditions, coupled with the absence of heat events, produced highly aromatic reds with pristine natural acidity. 

winemaking

Restrained winemaking was adopted in the making of this wine from harvest through to bottling. Each variety was cold soaked on skins for 5 days at ~8C before being partially wild fermented in separate small open fermenters. When the decision was made to press each ferment off skins, the pressings component was included for each to impart body and flavour into the final wine. Each variety was still kept separate at this stage and throughout the entire 10 months of maturation in French oak. Hogsheads (300L barrels) were used for the Cabernet Sauvignon component with puncheons (500L barrels) being used on the other varieties and only 10% being new. This oak selection and duration of maturation ensured perfume and freshness was retained whilst also ensuring a silky and refined palate along with evident complexity. A difficult thing to achieve using a single variety hence the decision to blend to achieve a world class wine style that only Margaret River can successfully make.

region

Margaret River

variety

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Malbec

Cabernet Franc

analysis

• Alcohol: 14.5%
• pH: 3.49
• TA 6.47 g/L

Fabulous with a herb-crusted roast rack of Western Australian lamb. 

margaret river wine show 2020