2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Colour:Deep red with purple hues

Nose:The wine offers vibrant aromas of blackcurrant, mulberries and rose petal frames by fine French oak, interwoven with hints of dark choc-mint and dried herb in the background

Palate:Powerful yet elegant, the generous palate offers a core of ripe forest fruits, cassis and dark chocolate characters. The wine has wonderful density, layered with inky fruits and underpinned by silky fine-grained tannins. Complex and quintessentially Margaret River with a long Cabernet finish.

Varietal:Cabernet Sauvignon (95%) Petit Verdot (5%)

Vintage:2017

Region:Margaret River

Conditions:The growing season began with late budburst after a relatively cold, wet Winter. The mild Spring which followed ensured that there was good flowering and fruit set, in fact some yields needed to be addressed with crop thinning. Fine, mild conditions prevailed during Summer, which ended up being one of the coolest growing seasons in recent years. Harvest commenced late, at the end of February, with abundant Marri blossom keeping bird pressure very low whilst the whites were harvested. March was relatively wet with a significant rain event after most of the white fruit had been picked. Fortunately, the April that followed was glorious (the driest April since 1982 in fact) with fine weather and no heat extremes experienced at all. The extended ripening period allowing the reds to attain full physiological maturity and tannin ripeness with a wonderful sense of finesse.

Alcohol:14%

Bottle Size:750ml

pH:3.42

Winemaking Notes:Fruit was crushed/destemmed before small batch fermentation in a combination of static and open fermenters. Fermentation takes 7-8 days at 24 – 26°C, during which the cap is managed using a combination of aerative pumping over, as well as regular plunging by hand. After a very gentle pressing, all of the components were matured for 14 months in French oak barriques before the blend was assembled from a selection of ‘best barrels’ from each batch (45% new oak) were selected for the final blend.