Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
BLUE GOLD – Sydney International Wine Competition 2018
Tasting Notes
| Vintage |
2015 |
| Grape Variety | 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot |
| Oak maturation | 19 months – 45% new, 55% two and three year old French oak barriques |
| Alcohol | 14% Alc/Vol |
| Release date | February 2017 |
| Colour |
Medium – deep red with a red – purple hue. |
| Aroma |
Clean and concentrated with a lifted fragrance that’s entwined with dark fruits and fine cedar oak. This wine shows great balance with regional and varietal characters of bay leaf, damp earth, cocoa and dusty gravel as well as lavender, mulberry, current and blueberry. |
| Palate | Medium bodied with an elegant, long fine palate. The tannins are very fine, providing a firm and balanced structure. There are fruit characters of mulberry and currants along with more complex characters of bay leaf, damp earth and well integrated French oak. The wine has a very long and firm finish with the potential for medium to long term aging. |
| Food matches | Traditional roast lamb with rosemary. |
| Peak drinking |
Drinking well now but will develop further in the bottle through until 2028. The wine will benefit from decanting before drinking. |
Winemaker Comments
Viticulture
Hand picked from a selection of super premium cabernet vineyards at our disposal including a portion of 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 2014 vintage had a mild growing season with cool nights. Temperatures were sitting close to the long term average with minimal heat spikes through the growing season.
Marri blossom flowered early helping keep bird damage to a minimum. All in all, 2015 was a near perfect season. The best Cabernets were harvested from the 28th March through to the
10th April, with ripe fruit characters and fully developed seed and skin tannins.
Winemaking
The fruit was harvested in the morning, delivered to the winery and was processed straight away on receival at the winery. Fermentation was controlled at 25-29 degrees Celsius in our
small open fermenters with heading down boards. Gentle extraction (a Forester Estate style was achieved by daily draining of the wine away from the skins and returning back over the top,
with fermentation and maceration times varying from 7 to 30 days. The wine was then pressed to a blend of new and older French oak barriques to complete malo – lactic fermentation.
Storage / Bottling
Maturation lasted 19 months before the wine was bottled in November 2016. Bottled under screw cap to ensure the wine retains its varietal and regional integrity for longer.
Awards & Achievements
James Halliday Wine Companion
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Points & Top Cellaring Selection
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Points & Top Cellaring Selection
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Points
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver – Langton`s Margaret River Wine Show 2017
Bronze – Wine Show of Western Australia 2017
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
BLUE GOLD – Sydney Int Wine Competition 2018
Silver – Wine Show of Western Australia 2017
Bronze – International Wine & Spirits Competition 2017
Bronze – Royal Sydney Wine Show 2017
Bronze – London International Wine Challenge 2017
Bronze – Royal Perth Wine Show 2017
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
TROPHY – CHAMPION RED WINE Australian Small Winemakers Show 2016
TROPHY – CHAMPION VITICULTURIST Australian Small Winemakers Show 2016
BLUE GOLD – Sydney Int Wine Competition 2016
TOP 100 – Sydney Int Wine Competition 2016
GOLD -Australian Small Winemakers Show 2016
GOLD – Halliday Cabernet Challenge 2016
GOLD – Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2016
GOLD – Royal Queensland Wine Show 2016
GOLD – National Wine Show of Australia 2016
GOLD – Margaret River Wine Show 2016
GOLD – London International Wine Challenge 2016
Silver – Sydney Royal Wine Show 2016
Silver – International Wine & Spirits Competition 2016
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver Medal – International Wine & Spirit Competition 2015
Bronze Medal – International Wine Challenge 2015
Bronze Medal – Sydney Royal Wine Show 2015
Bronze Medal – Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2015
94 Points – Wine Showcase Magazine 2015
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
4 Stars – Winestate Magazine, September 2014
Silver Medal – Margaret River Wine Show 2014
Silver Medal – International Wine & Spirits Challenge 2014
Silver Medal – International Wine Challenge 2014
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
GOLD Medal – Qantas Wine Show of WA Mount Barker 2013
96 Points – James Halliday Wine Companion 2015
“A blend of 92% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, and 2% each of petit verdot and malbec; open-fermented and macerated for between 7 and 30 days, then matured for 22 months in french oak (33% new). This is a very distinguished cabernet; while it is full of cassis fruit, it has the precision, bordering on rectitude, of high quality cabernet. Drink by 2031.”
92 Points – Ray Jordan Wine Guide 2014
“A tightly focused and slightly angular cabernet reflective of this northern Margaret River region. The nose is highly scented with leafy perfumed notes. On the palate it’s sinewy with firmish tannins and fine grained oak. The fruit is held with deft restraint to a long precise finish. Hints of cigar box and black olive add a degree of complexity to the mix. Will handle cellaring in the medium term.”
Silver Medal – International Wine Challenge 2014
Silver Medal – International Wine & Spirits Competition 2013
Silver Medal – Scoop Summer Edition Tasting 2014
93 Points – Wine Showcase Magazine August 2013
92 Points – Ray Jordan Wine Guide 2014
Bronze Medal – Royal Hobart Wine Show 2013
Bronze Medal – National Wine Show of Australia 2013
Bronze Medal – Perth Royal Wine Show 2013
Bronze Medal – Margaret River Wine Show 2013
Bronze Medal – Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2013
Bronze Medal – International Wine Challenge 2013
4 Stars – Winestate Tasting July/August 2013
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver Medal – Qantas Wine Show of WA Mt Barker 2012
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
4 1/2 Stars – Winestate Tasting May Edition 2012
Silver Medal – Margaret River Wine Show 2011
Silver Medal – Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2011
Silver Medal – Mount Barker Wine Show 2011
Silver Medal – Scoop Magazine Spring Tasting 2011
Bronze Medal – Sydney Royal Wine Show 2012
Bronze Medal – Australian Small Winemakers Show 2011
Bronze Medal – Perth Royal Wine Show 2011
Bronze Medal – International Wine & Spirits Fair Hong Kong 2011
Highly Commended – International Wine Challenge 2011
92/100 – Mike Beanie, Wine 100 Magazine October 2011
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Gold, Best in Class – International Wine & Spirits Comp 2010
Silver Medal – Australian Small Winemakers Show 2010
Silver Medal – Margaret River Wine Show 2010
Bronze Medal – Sydney Royal Wine Show 2010
94 Points – Ray Jordan 2011 WA Wine Guide
3 Stars – Winestate Magazine New Release Tasting 2010
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Bronze Medal – Rutherglen Wine Show 2010
Bronze Medal – Scoop Magazine Winter 2009
88 points, Gary Walsh: The Wine Front
4 stars, Equal Top in Category: Winestate Magazine 2010
91 points, Ray Jordan: WA Wine Guide 2010
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver Medal – London International Wine & Spirit Comp 2008
Silver Medal – Margaret River Wine Show 2007
Silver Medal – Sydney Royal Wine Show 2008
Silver Medal – International Wine & Spirit Comp 2009
Bronze Medal – Qantas Wine Show of WA 2007
Bronze Medal – Rutherglen Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal – Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal – Royal Sydney Wine Show 2009
Bronze Medal – Ray Jordan’s WA Wine Guide 2009
Highly Commended – Sydney International Wine Comp 2008
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Bronze Medal – Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2007
Bronze Medal – Royal Perth Wine Show 2007
Bronze Medal – Royal Perth Wine Show 2006
Bronze Medal – Margaret River Wine Show 2006
Bronze Medal – Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2007
90 points, Capbell Mattinson: The Wine Front
90 points, Huon Hooke: SMH “Good Living” May 2007
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver Medal – Qantas Wine Show of WA 2006
Silver Medal – Qantas Wine Show of WA 2005
Bronze Medal – Royal Sydney Wine Show 2005
Top 10 Cabernet Blends – Peter Forrestal, Qantas Magazine
4 1/2 stars, Winestate Tasting Magazine Sept 2005
90 points, Ray Jordan: WA Wine Guide 05/06
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver Medal – Royal Sydney Wine Show 2004
2 Bronze Medals
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
2 Bronze Medals
