2017 Trinders Cabernet Merlot
"Cabernet Merlot is a wine for unwinding. Generous and unpretentious with enough complexity and character to keep you interested."
The Trinders Vineyard was established in 1988 and named after a local school, the first in the Margaret River region. Cape Mentelle has developed an international reputation for these varieties that are perfectly suited to the climate and soils of Margaret River.
This blend seeks to capture the depth and structure of cabernet sauvignon with the dark fruit and plush flavours of merlot; small amounts of shiraz and cabernet franc complement the blend for a well-rounded, rich style with exquisite balance.
Nose
The aromatics are dark and brooding; intense
blackberry fruit, black currant and rose petal
are met with forest bramble, tobacco and
hints of smoked charcuterie. Finer nuances of
raspeberry cane, wild plum and dark chocolate
meld with dried herbal notes and hints of
cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate
The palate bursts with fresh forest berry fruits
of blueberry, blackberry and cassis giving a
full and fleshy mouthfeel. This well balanced
and seamless wine displays wonderful savoury
notes of cedar and cinnamon fanning out to
a supple and silky texture.
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 36%, Cabernet Franc 6%.
Cellaring
Ready for enjoyment in its youth, this wine can also be cellared for 15 years and beyond.
Food Pairing Notes
We suggest highlighting the savoury
complexity of this wine by matching it
with lamb shank slow cooked with morel
mushrooms, a kangaroo fillet with grilled
corn and potato au gratin, or a simple roasted
vegetable tomato pasta sauce with freshly
rolled gnocchi garnished with parsley and
Calabrian chilli.
The Vineyard
The fruit comes from our Wallcliffe, Trinders
and Crossroads vineyards. The typical soils of
these vineyards are geologically ancient, free
draining sandy loams with a high percentage
of lateritic gravel. The vines are now fully
dry grown and, early in the season, manually
thinned and leafed to expose the fruit. Picking
decisions are made by taste only; picking is by
hand in small batches with lot sizes determined
by vine vigour and ripeness within blocks.
The Season
The preceding winter gave healthy rains,
replenishing soil moisture levels which led
into a milder spring with higher than average
rainfall. Flowering in all varieties was delayed
by 10 days compared to the 2016 season,
with wonderful sunshine giving excellent set
(fruitful flowers into berries) and thus great
crop potential across all varieties. With a mild
summer, punctuated by only a few hot days
(over 30C), veraison (colouring and softening
of berries) in early February came three weeks
later than 2016 (mid January) giving one of the
latest yet highest quality vintages on record.
Winemaking
The fruit is 100% destemmed and lightly
crushed to a combination of open and closed
fermenters of between 120kg to 2.5 tonne
capacity. The ferments proceed with wild
yeast and operations are decided day by
day without recipe to optimize potential and
complexity. Post fermentation macerations
are long- up to 120 days- to develop silky
tannin structures before light basket pressing.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in French
oak barriques (5% new), the wine aged on
lees (yeast sediment) for 16 months and then
blended and bottled.
Analysis
14% alcohol, 5.6 g/l total acidity, 3.64 pH.
