Tasting Notes

Wine Making Notes

After a warm growing season, the harvest started as per the historical average with great weather conditions. All the reds were allowed the best ripening time and could be harvested at the peak of their flavours with ripe skin and see tannin as weather events were very limited and bird pressure was also very low. 

Our Cabernet Merlot was sourced mostly from blocks located in Northern and Eastern parts of Margaret River, which we selected for their varietal characters at perfect ripening time. The Cabernet part of the blend combines a block of Yallingup fruit, clone 126 and a block of Osmington Cabernet planted of clone 338. The Merlot was sourced from one of our long time growers near Cowaramup who tends to their 25 year old vines singlehandedly and entirely by hand, producing some of great earthy flavours year on year. 

The fruit was machine harvested at night and immediately taken to the winery for destemming and light crushing. After a brief skin soak of 48 hours, the fruit was fermented in closed-top stainless-steel fermenters at medium warm temperatures, with a mix of juice pump-overs and rack and return for gentle extraction. After the primary fermentation, the wine was kept several more days on skins to round out the extraction and the tannins. 

After pressing, the wine completed malolactic and aged on oak for about 14 months. The wine was not fined but filtered and bottled in late winter. 

Alc %

14.5%

Allergens

Sulphites.

Varietals

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Nose

The enticing nose displays perfumed sweet red fruit aromas of cassis and cherry alongside notes of spice, dark chocolate, vanilla-pod and charry oak. Savory aromas of dried juniper berries, bay leaf, and dried tobacco leaf round out the nose. 

Palate

Lucious and smooth, this Cabernet Merlot is surprisingly full-bodied, generous but elegant. Juicy dark plum and cassis fruits are framed by fine-grain tannins with complex flavours of licorice and dark chocolate that linger and combines with the plush velvety tannins that envelop the finish. 

Food Pairing

Slow cooked pulled beef with salsa roja and pan fried nopales. Stuffed portobello mushrooms with a rich traditional Italian sugo topped with caramelized garlic cloves.