Vintage
The 2005 Margaret River vintage can only be described as exceptional. Warm sunny days and crisp, cool nights made for ideal fruit ripening conditions. In addition to this the relatively dry growing season ensured a crop of disease-free fruit. Flavour and acidity levels are at their optimum in this vintage year.
Harvest
The fruit for this wine was machine-harvested in March of 2005 during the cool of night.
Label Integrity
100% Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Margaret River).
Winemaking
After crushing and de-stemming the Cabernet fruit was inoculated with a selected yeast strain and fermented in small 10 tonne static fermenters. The traditional methods of rack and return and pumping over were employed during fermentation to optimise colour, flavour and tannin extraction from the fermenting must. Post-ferment the wine was left on skins (maceration) for one to two weeks prior to pressing. The pressings were mixed back with the free-run wine and then inoculated for MLF with selected bacteria. After the completion of MLF the wine was racked and transferred to both new and one year old French oak. At the end of barrel maturation the various wine components were blended, fined and given minimal filtration prior to bottling.
Viticulture
The Sandalford Estate vineyard in Margaret River is the largest and oldest vineyard in this famed region having been originally planted in 1970. The vineyard is located in the northern sub-region of Margaret River known as Wilyabrup. This sub-region is some 4 degrees Celsius warmer on average than the southern parts of Margaret River. This ensures optimal ripeness and generosity in the wines produced. There are twelve Cabernet Sauvignon blocks on the Estate.
Oak Treatment:
12 months in 50% new and 50% one year old French oak barriques (Saury and Seguin Moreau).
Tasting Notes
Colour:
Dark Cherry with a lovely magenta hue.
Nose:
Certainly there is primary blackcurrant fruit but also the unique floral violet note often seen in the best years of this wine. The oak is complementary to the fruit in the cedary, vanillin spectrum.
Palate:
Beautiful currant sweet-like fruit with wafts of perfumed violets across the palate. Lovely medium to full-bodied wine with powdery tannins and great length to the finish. The oak is balanced perfectly in respect of the fruit and adds both structure and tannin to the mouthfeel. This wine will easily cellar for some ten years or more under ideal conditions and decanting is recommended prior to serving at preferably 17 to 18 degrees Celsius.
Awards
- Rotal Perth Wine Show 2007: Gold Medal
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