Guided by viticulturist Tim Quinlan we chose to plant malbec instead of merlot as a blending variety. Recent results have endorsed this decision with our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec being awarded the trophy at the 2020 Perth Royal Wine Show for the Best Dry Red Blend.
The malbec vines thrive on the gentle, south-facing slope supported by granitic, loamy soils. Now mature vines, they are producing a large volume of high-quality fruit. This has resulted in us being able to make a straight Malbec, leaving sufficient to blend with our Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon each year.
Malbec is a deep purple wine variety characterised by fruit flavours of black cherry, plum and blueberry. In the Wilyabrup sub region we find that the wine finishes with a spicy character which shows through the medium bodied tannins. When blended with cabernet sauvignon (80%), petit verdot (7%) and cabernet franc (5%) the malbec (8%) adds another dimension to an already sound blend. It is a rich, full bodied red wine with black plum and cherries on the front palate, cradled by a cabernet back bone of classic Margaret River cassis. The wine was matured in a combination of 44% new and 56% used French oak barriques to enhance the elegant tannin structure, which is softened further by the malbec component.
2018 is being hailed as one of the best Margaret River vintages ever. The season benefited greatly from penetrating rains across the region in December 2017. This produced excellent canopy growth in all varieties at Grace Farm. Coupled with excellent flowering and fruit set in October to November, it ensured fantastic fruit and healthy yields throughout the vineyard. The cool January to February summer period experienced in the region, without 30+ degree days, enabled a steady ripening period without heat spikes. The 2018 vintage produced an exceptional quantity of malbec and it was harvested in two sessions. The first pick was co-fermented with the cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and cabernet franc to create the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec. This wine is now available HERE.
Malbec is a deep purple wine variety characterised by fruit flavours of black cherry, plum and blueberry. In the Wilyabrup sub region we find that the wine finishes with a spicy character which shows through the medium bodied tannins. When blended with cabernet sauvignon (80%), petit verdot (7%) and cabernet franc (5%) the malbec (8%) adds another dimension to an already sound blend. It is a rich, full bodied red wine with black plum and cherries on the front palate, cradled by a cabernet back bone of classic Margaret River cassis. The wine was matured in a combination of 44% new and 56% used French oak barriques to enhance the elegant tannin structure, which is softened further by the malbec component.
2018 is being hailed as one of the best Margaret River vintages ever. The season benefited greatly from penetrating rains across the region in December 2017. This produced excellent canopy growth in all varieties at Grace Farm. Coupled with excellent flowering and fruit set in October to November, it ensured fantastic fruit and healthy yields throughout the vineyard. The cool January to February summer period experienced in the region, without 30+ degree days, enabled a steady ripening period without heat spikes. The 2018 vintage produced an exceptional quantity of malbec and it was harvested in two sessions. The first pick was co-fermented with the cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and cabernet franc to create the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec. This wine is now available HERE.
