2021 Redbrook Estate Cabernet Merlot

"The 2021 vintage in Margaret River has produced a Redbrook wine with beautiful fragrances of rose petal, fresh blackberry, blood plums and bay. Refined notes of savoury spice and cedar adds lovely interest and complexity. The cooler 2021 vintage resulted in more Cabernet Sauvignon being utilized in the blend compared to the 2020 which ensured the wine has great drive and persistence of flavour whilst retaining the effortless and seamless nature on the palate expected from Redbrook."

Senior Winemaker Matt Bryne

colour

Vibrant purple-red with bright red hues.

aroma & palate

The 2021 vintage in Margaret River has produced a Redbrook wine with beautiful fragrances of rose petal, fresh blackberry, blood plums and bay. Refined notes of savoury spice and cedar adds lovely interest and complexity. The cooler 2021 vintage resulted in more Cabernet Sauvignon being utilized in the blend compared to the 2020 which ensured the wine has great drive and persistence of flavour whilst retaining the effortless and seamless nature on the palate expected from Redbrook. 

cellaring

Will show youthful, perfumed notes with fresh fruit flavours upon release. For those after additional complexity and softness, five or more years of bottle age is suggested. 

vintage

The 2021 Margaret River vintage was moderate and mild which has produced perfumed, full flavoured and elegantly structured Cabernet-based wines – something that Margaret River, and Redbrook is renowned for. 

The early and mid part of the growing season up to and including November 2020 was mild with plenty of rainfall which set up the vines well for the comng ripening months. The start of the new year saw much needed dry and mild weather which facilitated ripening before early February saw some additional rainfall which slowed things and dialed up the potential for disease as the fruit started to accumulate sugar and flavour. Our vineyards had ideal canopies and crop loads coming into ripening from the work done during the growing season so faired brilliantly in these potentially challenging conditions. Dry, mild weather then followed which saw Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc and Merlot achieve full flavour with plush tannins and perfumed aromatics – all hallmarks of the 2021 vintage. A tropical rainfall event in mid-April was the line-in-the-sand for vintage to come to a close. 

winemaking

Our Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot parcels were all picked in April to make the most of the dry, mild ripening period following the February rain event.

All three varieties were harvested during the coolest part of the very early morning to achieve <10C fruit temperature so they could be cold soaked on skins for ~5 days prior to fermentation. The selectively harvested fruit was destemmed with any additional MOG (Material Other than Grapes) such as leaves being removed before the berries were transferred to small stainless steel static fermenters.  The Cabernet Sauvignon underwent partial wild fermentation before a select yeast culture was added at a low rate to finish fermentation which lasted 10 days. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc also underwent partial wild fermentation. 

This vintage saw all three varieties pressed off skins just prior to dryness to achieve the desired structure and end blend style. The Franc and Merlot were matured separately in seasoned French oak puncheons (500L) with the Cabernet Sauvignon spending 12 months maturing in French oak hogsheads (300L) of which only ~10% were new (the balance 1-3yr French oak hogsheads). All batches were racked ~twice over the 12 month period and topped monthly to preserve freshness and fragrance.
 
The 2021 Redbrook was blended earlier than the previous vintage before being bottled without filtration before further maturation in bottle prior to release. Our 2021 wine sees a higher than typical proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend.

region

Margaret River

varieties

• Cabernet Sauvignon 83%
• Merlot 14%
• Cabernet Franc 3%

analysis

• Alcohol: 14.5%
• pH: 3.49
• TA (Acidity): 6.28 g/L
• Gluten Free
• Vegan-friendly

Rosemary-infused lamb shank casserole with soft polenta.

Sydney Royal Wine Show 2024

Best Cabernet Dominant Blend Trophy

National Wine Show of Australia 2024

Cabernet Blends Trophy

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Wine Show of Western Australia 2024

Margaret River Wine Show 2024

Margaret River Wine Show 2023

Perth Royal Wine Awards 2023

Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2023

Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2024

Royal Hobart Wine Show 2023

Halliday Wine Companion 2025

A vibrant dark garnet-purple hue with atypical aromas and flavours so expect blackberries, mulberries and cassis dressed up with baking spices, fresh herbs and cedary oak. Lots of primary fruit across the fuller-bodied palate, no surprise given its youth with refreshing acidity and plentiful tannins...   

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