2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
"An in-depth exploration of Margaret River's hero variety. Fine tannins carry the beautiful fruit plushness and this Cabernet displays a formidable regional identity."
Nose
The alluring perfumed nose has an abundance of redcurrant, fresh strawberry, cranberry and quince paste, with underlying thyme, blackcurrant leaves and a hint of black truffle.
Palate
This is a delicious and approachable wine with notes of sweet purple plums, cassis, blueberries with a touch of spice and pepper. A wine with great energy and an evolving elegance showing well-integrated tannins and length.
Blend
90% cabernet sauvignon 6% merlot 3% petit verdot 1% cabernet franc
Cellaring
10+ years
Food Pairing Notes
Pan seared duck breast with spring vegetables. Mushroom and spinach tortellini. Beef carpaccio with wild rocket and shaved parmesan.
The Vineyard
Vintage 2021 delivered two seasons in one; a cold and wet spring that evolved into a hot and dry summer. February experienced some significant rainfall events that freshened up the canopies for later ripening varieties and allowed for some leaf removal without the risk of sunburn. The mild conditions to finish off the season resulted in fresh natural acidity and fruit with a wonderful depth of flavour. The season was quite humid which created more challenges than the region is accustomed to. Growers reacted with leaf plucking across the reds to improve air flow and some fruit dropping to ensure physiological ripeness was achievable. Those who put in the extra work will no doubt reap the rewards! Our aim with cabernet sauvignon is to deliver grapes that are a true and vibrant expression of the vineyard site, with excellent tannin structure and ripeness. A range of precision viticulture techniques are included in our annual plans for each block, with the focus on canopy manipulation, ensuring air flow and sunlight penetration into the fruit zone.
Winemaking
After destemming, the selected vineyard batches were lightly crushed to closed top fermenters and individually fermented with selected yeasts. Cap management operations were gentle and maceration periods reached up to 25 days. At the desired balance of fruit perfume and soft tannins, each batch was basket pressed, with the pressing wine kept separated. The major portion of the blend was assembled within six months of harvest, allowing the wines and pressings to integrate harmoniously through ageing. The wine was matured in barrel for 15 months with limited racking, 26% new French oak was used to complement the fruit. The final blend remained unfined and was filtered before being Estate bottled in August 2022.
Analysis
13.9% alcohol 5.75 g/l total acidity 3.56 pH Suitable for vegans
Wine Pilot
The Cabernet Sauvignon fruit sourced from the various parcels across CM’s Margaret River vineyards is destemmed and lightly crushed, before fermentation and then maturation in French oak, 30% new, for fourteen months. The wine incorporates 2% Petit Verdot, as well as 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
A maroon hue, the immediate impression on the nose is of some rather special blackberry jam notes, supported by bay leaves, chocolate, licorice, raspberries and coffee grinds. This is a luscious and delicious style of Cabernet, with good focus, fine sleek tannins and excellent length. A ten year proposition. There are plenty of Margaret River Cabs at twice the price which struggle to match the quality we have here.