Awards and Accolades

94 Points - Ray Jordan, Top 100
“Most impressive cabernet from the Frankland Estate vineyards. It shows a distinctive regional and vineyard character, with a graphite-like iron-filings character threading through the seamless, structured palate. elegant and stylish. Beautiful wine.”

2013 Vintage: 96 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion
"Good hue; an autocratic cabernet demanding that it should be taken on its own terms; black fruits, bramble and persistent tannins, all true varietal markers"

From the Winery

A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. Dense plums, blackberries and hints of cedar and vanilla leap out of the glass. The rich firm palate is balanced with grainy mouth coating tannin and fresh sweet mulberries that glide across the mouth. Savoury black olives and refreshing acidity provide a very long finish. This elegant yet opulent Cabernet reflects both the outstanding 2014 vintage conditions and the meticulous care taken in the vineyard and the winery

A dry spring and early summer was followed by a typically mild Frankland River growing season. Harvested in mid April the fruit was in clean and ideal condition.

Fruit for this wine was sourced from mature vines in the Isolation Ridge vineyard at Frankland Estate. The vineyard sits on an undulating northern and eastern facing slope on ancient duplex soils of gravel and loam over a clay sub-soil. It is farmed using organic viticultural practices and this is reflected in the depth and concentration of fruit flavours. The vines are trained on a Scott Henry trellis system to enhance sunlight penetration of the canopy and optimize ripening conditions.

This wine was fermented as long and slowly as possible, at temperatures not exceeding 30°C in open pot fermentation tanks that allowed the cap to be worked by plunging and gently pumping over. An extended maceration period allowed optimal colour, flavour and tannin extraction. It was aged in 500 litre French oak puncheons, this contributing textural complexity without compromising the opulent natural fruit flavours of the wine.