Ratings & Tasting notes:

From the winery:

A rich bold wine with deeply expressive aromas of cassis, espresso bean and toffee. On the palate there is a touch of dark earth and dried oregano that adds a savory element to this wine. This is paired with some delicious ripe dark fruit flavors. Robust tannins give this wine plenty of persistence, whilst the complex intermingling of flavors evolve.

Vineyard Notes

Located adjacent to the Swanson Tasting room, on some of the best soil in the valley, this vineyard consistently provides us with an excellent source of fruit.

Winemaker Notes

There are two blocks that constantly produce deep and powerful Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s about 15 years difference in when the two blocks were planted and so the wine making team, (with no originality) refer to them as young block and old block. They often get picked about a week apart, with the young block first to ripen, coming off first around the last week of September. We ferment them separately but nearly always blend them together as they compliment one another beautifully. Hand picked and then berry sorted at the winery, they are fermented in large stainless steel tanks before being pressed off to barrel where they under-go malolactic fermentation and rest for a further 18 months in 50% new French oak. The resulting wine shows all the trademarks of what has made this appellation famous. Powerful dusty tannins, dark fruit, rich mouth feel and great length and complexity. Built to last this is definitely one for extended aging in the cellar.

Vintage Notes

After a series of dry years, 2017 brought back plenty of rainfall, making it one of the wettest years on record. A wet winter and spring helped recharge the groundwater resources as well as filling reservoirs and irrigation ponds. Bud break happened around mid-march amidst continued light rain which helped in preventing frost damage. Bloom and fruit-set occurred under mild conditions giving a 75% successful fruit set. The abundance of soil moisture provided a plentiful water supply to the root systems throughout the year which fueled rigorous canopy growth. A mild June and July gave way to sporadic heat spike events immediately followed by cooling trends which ran throughout the harvest period. This caused a stop-and-start approach to harvesting as the sugar levels increased and then fell back down.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Condition:

Perfect