2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum
"It is absolutely delicious now, with all of its flavour, texture and structure ducks in a row" - James Halliday
Cape Mentelle has a rich history of exceptional quality and consistency with Cabernet Sauvignon from a pioneering producer in Margaret River in the early 1970's to a benchmark producer today. A single vineyard wine with the style evolving over time, the aim always to define a wine displaying classic varietal character and opulence, strong regional identity and with the structure and fruit intensity to improve with extended cellaring.
Nose
A rush of intense ripe red fruits comes first to the nose with expressive notes of dark cherry, strawberry and Satsuma plum. The bouquet is then completed with aromas of white caramel, vanilla and peppercorns, along with a subtle hint of smoky oak and dark cocoa nibs.
Palate
A bright attack of ripe plums, black and red cherry leading to delicate notes of smoky oak and liquorice and hints of wild game and forest floor. The structural and fine tannins combine perfectly with the fruit intensity and well-balanced acidity to provide a beautiful mouthfeel and length on the palate.
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Merlot 9%, Petit Verdot 3%, Shiraz 3%
Cellaring
This wine has the structure and intensity to be cellared for up to 20-30 years.
Food Pairing Notes
We recommend lean meat: beef tartare, venison carpaccio. It is also an excellent match with oyster mushrooms marinated in truffle butter or to accompany a fine dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content.
The Vineyard
This area exhibits the classic gravelly lateritic soils that drain to the west and the microclimate is strongly influenced by the Indian ocean only 5 km away. The vineyards are manually cane pruned and meticulously treated as individual vines. In late April, the bunches were hand harvested into small 6.5kg baskets, which allow each individual row selection to be handled with particular care and berries arrived at the winery in pristine condition. After a sunny and mild September 2014, Margaret River experienced a cool spring all the way to the year end. 2015 brought the driest January on record, on par with 2008 and concluded with some hot days in the mid-30s. The nights remained cool through summer, favouring delicate floral and red fruit flavours. The red harvest was difficult due to some sporadic rains but patience was rewarded as the fruit dried beautifully to some very expressive varietal characters.
Winemaking
The hand picked fruit underwent destemming and berry sorting followed by light crushing. Individual vineyard batches were fermented on skins for up to 30 days. At the desired balance of fruit and tannin extraction, each batch was gently basket pressed, with harder pressings kept aside. The individual parcels
were racked to oak following pressing for malolactic fermentation. Regular rackings over an 18-month period ensured the individual wines are at their best prior to blending. The wines were matured in selected Bordeaux coopered barriques of which 50% were new with the balance being one year
After destemming, individual berry sorting and light crushing, individual vineyard batches were fermented on skins for up to 70 days. Ferment management is decided every day through tasting. At the desired balance of fruit and tannin extraction, each batch was gently basket pressed, with harder pressings kept aside. The individual parcels were racked to oak following pressing for malolactic fermentation. The wines were matured with minimal racking for 18 to 20 months in selected barriques of which about 55% were new. The wine is left unfined and undergoes only minimal filtration before bottling on the estate.
Analysis
13.7% alcohol, 5.62 g/l total acidity, 3.69pH
Australian Wine Companion 2019
This should be the least ready of the trio of Cape Mentelle '15 siblings, but is the most ready. It is absolutely delicious now, with all of its flavour, texture and structure ducks in a row. It's the stealthy softness of the tannins, which are there, and will continue to do what is required of them for decades to come.