Our wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon has been referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ of Margaret River wine and is a stable member of our Regional Classics line up. We’re not sure it offers eternal youth, but we are certain about the power of this wine to provide regular happiness. Cabernet Sauvignon is the aristocrat of the grape varietals and Margaret River produces some of the best examples – medium to full bodied savoury wines that are lavishly driven by oak, balanced by finely grained tannins and brisk, but bright, acidity.

We have been inspired by our wide-ranging appreciation of this noble grape, both at home and away: in the Cabernet dominant blends of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, and the single varietals produced in Napa Valley.

Yet Cabernet is Margaret River’s cult varietal for good reason and we’ve been sure to harness the unique herbaceous hints that make this region especially famous for this variety. To truly represent the terroir of Margaret River we acquired fruit from three sub-regions and captured the subtlety of each.

The weather was near perfect for this vintage with abundant winter and spring rainfall, and little or no rain from November until mid-March. It really was almost textbook ripening conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Grapes for this wine were sourced in April from three sub-regions across Margaret River: Wallcliffe, Carbunup and Wilyabrup.

The majority (60%) of the fruit was sourced from Black’s vineyard in Wallcliffe which characteristically displays more of a leafy character, with some sage hints among the ripe black currents. The Wildberry Vineyard in Wilyabrup accounts for 20% of the final blend and was used for the elegance that the ironstone soils provide, and the better acid. This balances out the sandy soils of the Carbunup fruit from Alexanders Vineyard, which were used to add the red current and violet like aromas.

The berries from Wallcliffe and Carbunup were sorted through and crushed into stainless steel fermenters and inoculated for primary ferment with a complimentary Bordeaux yeast. The must was initially pumped over three times a day, and then less frequently as alcohol volume increased. The fruit from Wilyabrup was treated in open fermenters and hand plunged.

After a slightly extended maceration the wine was pressed to an equal combination of new, one year old, and two year old French oak barrels and inoculated for malolactic fermentation. The wine was allowed to mature in oak for 15-18 months and was racked at regular intervals.

The best barrels were then selected and blended together with a small amount (5%) of Petit Verdot blended in to provide colour, a tannin boost, as well as a lift to the floral aromas.

Deep red, with brick red hues.

The nose is a hit of regional aromas. Ripe rich berries from the Wilyabrup fruit, violets from the Carbunup fruit, and distinct leafy and herbal characteristics from the Walcliffe fruit all come together.

This is a powerfully elegant full-bodied wine which is both soft and rich. On the palate it has well rounded tannins with concentrated fruit flavours, supporting oak characteristics, and great length on the finish.

We aim for minimal intervention to let the fruit express itself, yet there are certain things we do need to maintain the quality and integrity of this wine. We’ve added minimal sulphites to stabilise the wine and ensure its shelf life. It has also been fined with the aid of egg whites and skim milk products to remove harsh phenolic compounds. We use this method as opposed to other by-products as it is extremely gentle in nature and does not strip flavour nor character from the wine, creating a final, high quality polish.