Cape Mentelle - Products - 2020 Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon

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2020 Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon

2020 Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon - View 2

2020 Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon - View 3

"A magnificent testimonial to our heritage vineyards, consistently delivering power, elegance and opulence."

Cape Mentelle has a rich history of exceptional quality and consistency with Cabernet Sauvignon, from a pioneering producer in Margaret River in the early 1970s to a benchmark winery today. Our Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon is the culmination of an intensely detailed approach to our vineyards and grape selection. From our vigour and soil mapping techniques to the identification of select parcels and hand harvesting bunch by bunch, we ensure gentle handling through every stage of production.

Appearance

Deep ruby.

Nose

The alluring perfumed nose has an abundance of blue fruits, sweet blackberry and soft florals, with underlying leathery, briar notes.

Palate

A wine with great energy, richness, density and opulence however it remains elegant with fine graphite tannins. Juicy black pastilles, plus warm cassis and wild blueberries with an edge of bay leaf. A masterpiece in a glass, showing what Cabernet from Cape Mentelle can be, this will develop beautifully with age.

Blend

91% cabernet sauvignon 6% cabernet franc 2% petit verdot 1% merlot

Cellaring

15+ years

Food Pairing Notes

Ribeye just seared and served with mustard. Balsamic braised leek risotto. Charcuterie with Manchego and aged Cheddar.

Show Technical Notes and Reviews

The Vineyard

The 2020 vintage in Margaret River was a real treat for viticulturists. Beginning in January, harvest was one of the earliest on record due to the lower yields and warm, dry weather. Low disease pressure, timely flowering of native marri trees to keep the birds at bay and little to no rain meant that growers could literally ‘take their pick’ as required. Rainfall resumed in March but overall, a warmer than usual summer with plenty of heat accumulation across the season. Our aim with cabernet sauvignon is to deliver grapes that are a true and vibrant expression of the vineyard site, with excellent tannin structure and ripeness. A range of precision viticulture techniques are included in our annual plans for each block, with the focus on canopy manipulation, ensuring air flow and sunlight penetration into the fruit zone. These mature vines from our Estate Vineyard provide consistently high-quality fruit year after year.

Winemaking

Our Wallcliffe heritage vineyards were handpicked in the early hours of the morning. After destemming and hand sorting, the berries were lightly crushed to closed top fermenters and individually fermented with select yeasts. Daily tasting allowed for adjustments to extraction and maceration, to reach the perfect balance of structure and concentration. Maceration periods reached up to 27 days and at the desired balance of fruit perfume and tannin complexity, each batch was basket pressed, with the pressings kept separate. A few of our finest parcels were assembled early to form the major portion of the blend, allowing the wine and pressings to integrate harmoniously through ageing. The wine was barrel matured for 18 months with limited racking, 45% new French oak was used to complement the fruit. The final blend remained unfined and was filtered before being Estate bottled in December 2021.

Analysis

13.8% alcohol 5.82 g/l total acidity 3.62 pH Suitable for vegans

2024 WA Wine Review

Ray Jordan

A powerhouse cabernet of immense fruit concentration yet at the same time showing poise and effortless control. Blackcurrant, dark chocolate and a little graphite black olive characters emerge immediately on the nose. The palate is loaded with cabernet of great intensity with a chalky tannin and slightly graphite edge retaining control through to the long finish. Cellar 25 years.

The Real Review

Gabrielle Poy

Fresh coffee grounds, leather, alpine spices, smoked meats and lead pencil shavings on the nose—there's a lot going on here. It makes one sit up straight. There's a velvety plushness to the core, silty tannins provide structure, ribbing around the masses of fruit. The fruit delineation and freshness are a highlight, and spicy oak enhances its natural assets beautifully. A crescendo of tannins on the finish guarantees this has great aging potential although there's a lot to like already.

2025 Halliday Wine Companion

Jane Faulkner

The antithesis of the medium-bodied, elegant cabernets from Margaret River, this is one powerful, concentrated red. They do like oak at Cape Mentelle as this spends 18 months in French barrels, 45% new, which creates a dense carapace while adding cedar flavour and sweetness across the full-bodied palate. It’s somewhat overwhelming. Yet, there’s a core of ripe mulberries, blackberries and cassis with choc-mint, garrigue and bouquet garni plus licorice. Laden with persuasive tannins, a touch raw and grippy, so I’d park this in the cellar for a few years. It’s bound to change the outcome.