2021 Single Vineyard Cabernet Malbec

colour

Bright crimson with a purple rim.

aroma

A vibrant and perfumed nose with lifted warm spice, marzipan and ripe bay leaf. Delicious, almost salty coastal heath characters are underpinned by cassis fruit aromas and cedar-like oak.

palate

The palate is fine, detailed and deliciously long. The Cabernet portion drives the acid, providing bright red berry fruit and silky, supple tannins. The Malbec fills the palate with blue-fruited joy and Christmas cake spices. Celebratory, yet understated.

cellaring

Best enjoyed now and will reward mid-term cellaring for three to eight years.

vintage

The 2021 vintage in Margaret River produced very fine, refined wines. It was cool and wet in parts, with the best Cabernet vineyards producing distinctly medium-bodied wines with great poise and silky tannins.

winemaking

For the first time, the fruit for this wine was sourced from our Septimus Vineyard, located in central Wilyabrup. This block is one of the oldest in the region and produces wines with great personality and, as always, stunning elegance and charm.

This blend is produced from 77% Cabernet and 23% Malbec, showing the typically intense, charming perfume, effortless structure and elegant beauty that this Single Vineyard site offers. This is a unique wine which showcases the influence and power of Malbec even in the smallest amounts.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was fermented solely in static fermenters where delicate use of pump-overs and delestage were used to extract fine tannin and colour from this cooler vintage. The Malbec fruit was destemmed and transferred to an open-top fermenter where again, delicate use of pump-overs and hand plunging took place. Primary fermentation occurred solely in tank before the wine was racked to French oak barriques and aged for 18–20 months.

region

Margaret River 

varieties

Cabernet Sauvignon (77%)
Malbec (23%)

analysis

• Alcohol: 14.0%
• pH: 3.49
• Acidity (TA): 6.45 g/L

Tomahawk Ribeye cooked over coals, grilled broccolini and crispy roast potatoes.

Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2023

Halliday Wine Companion 2024

At once powerful yet contained with the varieties (percentage split unknown) beautifully matched. While the classy cabernet aromas and flavours come through, they are rendered more savoury by the malbec and oak. The fuller-bodied palate is alive and vibrant, flavours build and the tannins have presence, all textural and ripe. The finish lingers long as will this wine as in at least two decades.

Angus Hughson, Margaret River Guide 2024

Medium-deep crimson. Classical blackcurrant cedar spice aromas with nutmeg notes. Generous and supple with pure sweet fruited cassis, dark chocolate, mocha cedar flavours and persistent fine grained tannins. Lovely volume and balance.

Ray Jordan Wine Guide 2024

The impact of the Malbec on the nose is immediate with its rhubarb-like juby red notes. This is an elegantly crafted wine of medium body displaying attractive red fruit flavours. Freshy fruit within complemented by a chalky sinewy tannin edge. Oak has been well-managed to achieve an ideal balance.

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