2022 Wallcliffe Cabernet Franc
"These mature cabernet franc vines from our Estate Vineyard provide consistently elegant yet powerful fruit year after year."
Our Wallcliffe series of wines are a limited edition of bottling that celebrates the highlights of each vintage, the finest parcels of fruit and the best barrel selection. Explore our diverse and surprising Margaret River terroir with the best varietal blend each season. 2021 is an expression of our stunning cabernet franc blocks delivering great presence and class, completed with a pinch of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Leaving a remakable, lasting memory!
Nose
Lifted aromas of violets and lavender with cherry liquor, cassis buds and Quetsche plums shining through. Savoury notes of dried oregano and salty olive brine complete the picture.
Palate
Beautiful poise on this polished, driven palate, which is both elegant and powerful at the same time. Voluptuous tannins are well meshed and intriguing, leaving you with smoked paprika and cracked black pepper.
Blend
93% cabernet franc 6% cabernet sauvignon 1% merlot
Cellaring
Ready for enjoyment on release, this wine can also be cellared for 10+ years.
Food Pairing Notes
Pan seared duck breast with pomegranate reduction.
Polenta with roasted mushrooms.
Bresaola platter with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and rocket.
The Vineyard
Our aim 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. These mature cabernet franc vines from our Estate Vineyard provide consistently elegant yet powerful fruit year after year.
The 2022 season produced the coldest and wettest start to the growing season in over five decades. These cool spring conditions slowed vine development making it later than usual. Temperatures then radically increased during the summer months, with the region experiencing multiple heat waves. The weather during harvest provided ideal conditions, combining warm temperatures and low rainfall, which allowed for extended ripening across the board.
Winemaking
The two cabernet franc vineyard blocks were hand picked in the early hours of the morning. After destemming and hand sorting, the fruit of both plots was combined and transferred by gravity in a small stainless steel fermenter, with selected yeast, without any crushing of the berries. Cap management operations were gentle and the maceration period reached 22 days. At the desired balance of fruit perfume and silky tannins, the wine was basket pressed with the pressing wines initially kept separated. The wine was matured in a combination of French barrel, including 43% new oak to complement the fruit tannins, along with a 320L clay Amphora to preserve the delicate fragrance of the cabernet franc. After 18 months of ageing, with no racking, the final blend remained unfined and was filtered before being bottled in December 2023.
Analysis
14.6% alcohol
5.51 g/l total acidity
3.53 pH
Suitable for vegans
