Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
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- In detail
Tasting Notes
Grape Variety | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
Vintage | 2008 |
Oak maturation | 22 months - 1/3 new, 2/3 two and three year old French oak barriques |
Alcohol | 14.0% Alc/Vol |
Release date | September 2010 |
Peak drinking | Drinking well now and will show further integration in 2011. Will reward careful cellaring beyond 2020. |
Food matches | Slow roasted shoulder of lamb with fresh green beans and redcurrent jelly. |
Colour | Deep red with violet hue |
Aroma | Shows tremendous evolution in bouquet as it opens. Initially a mixture of dark earth, plum pudding and coffee bean. There is a growth in the juicy primary fruit aromas of black and blue forest berries. |
Palate | Excellent structure, complexity and depth of flavour. Concentrated blackberries, current and plum fruits at the core with a fruit-chocolate sweetness adding weight. Acid is well balanced and combines with very fine dry tannin to provide a seamless and elegant length to the wine. A keeper. |
Winemaker Comments
Viticulture
Hand picked from a selection of super premium cabernet vineyards at our disposal including a portion off open lyre trellis. As always, meticulous management of bud numbers and shoot thinning ensure a balanced canopy to ripen the crop. The vines grow in the well regarded gravelly/granite soils of Northern Margaret River and are allowed to reach full ripeness before harvesting. The 2008 growing season was extremely kind to Margaret River vignerons with good winter rain leading to warm and consistent weather over the summer. The best Cabernets were harvested in late March and the 1st week of April and showed nice dark fruit ripeness with fully developed seed and skin tannin. Even blocks traditionally considered 2nd tier on the quality scale lifted themselves into contention as potentially great single vineyard wines.
Winemaking
The handpicked fruit was held in cold storage overnight prior to crushing to assist in the cold soak before fermentation. Fermentation was strictly controlled at 22-24º Celsius in our small open fermenters with heading down boards. Gentle extraction (a Forester Estate style) was achieved by daily draining wine away from the skins and returning back over. After two weeks in the open fermenters the wine was pressed to a blend of new and older French oak barriques to complete the primary and malo-lactic ferment.
Storage / Bottling
Maturation lasted 22 months before the wine was bottled in February 2010. Bottles under screwcap to ensure the wine retains it's varietal and regional integrity for longer, this Cabernet will only truly show it's best from 2013.