2016 Whicher Ridge Elevation Cabernet

You often hear or read statements such as “a great wine is made in the vineyard”. The gravelly loam soils and rocky ironstone terrain at Whicher Ridge delivers distinctively varietal cabernet sauvignon that is unique to the area.

We are on exactly the same latitude as Juniper Estate and Vasse Felix and share similar soils that part of Margaret River, so the choice to plant cabernet in our vineyard was an easy one. Due to the elevation of our vineyard, we are harvesting our cabernet later than the Wilyabrup sub region, and at a similar time to vineyards just south of the Margaret River township.

After harvesting in the cool of early morning, we crushed the grapes a couple of hours later into open topped fermenters. We ferment our cabernet in the same way as our shiraz in an open topped fermenter, with alternating hand plunging, followed by draining off skins into a tank, then returning onto skins with lots of splashing and aeration, happening 2 to 3 times a day. We also barrel ferment a portion of the wine to add extra complexity. Once a day during the active part of ferment, after draining off skins, a portion of the shiraz ferment is returned into two new French barrels to ferment, with the balance being returned back onto the skins in the fermenters. This process is repeated every day for the next 5 to 6 days.

The wine completes fermentation through to dryness on skins in both the open topped fermenter and in the barrels, then it is pressed off through our basket press. Following fermentation, the cabernet was matured for 2 years in a mix of 40% new, 40% one year old, and 20% two and three year old, french oak barrels.

The 2016 Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex and intense wine with aromas of mint, blueberries, raspberries, tobacco leaf, and dark chocolate, with a lifted flinty, chalky character that is typical of our vineyard. Complex flavours of blueberries, dark chocolate, mint and fresh blackberries unfold on the palate, complemented by fine textured grainy tannins. The finish is long, with lingering flavours of mint and blueberries. This wine is approachable now and will cellar well for the next 8-10 years, or perhaps longer!

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