2020 Pierro Reserve Cabernet Merlot

A smooth, rich fullbodied red wine. With flavours of blackberry, mulberry, blackcurrant, plum and spice. Graceful and sophisticated fine tannins providing both incredible structure and length. Best served with Margaret River beef cooked over coals.

Grown in one of the best Margaret River vintages in a generation. Parcels of fruit are handpicked from the north facing slopes of Pierro property in Willyabrup. Each block features unique high-density narrow rows on rocky soil that slope down to the Willyabrup Brook. All vines are mature (over 30 years old), low yielding, with the canopy pruned so the fruit rests close to the earth. This leads to a lower quantity of higher quality, balanced fruit on each vine rich in concentration and flavour. All vineyard parcels are situated within 3km of the coast and are influenced by the maritime climate and fresh, pure ocean sea breezes prevalent during the growing season.

Winemaking

The fruit for this wine is handpicked over a 10 day period between late March and early April. All grapes are handpicked, chilled then both bunch and berry sorted by hand. What remains is a black caviar appearence to the resulting berries. The grapes are fermented in open fermenters, plunged by hand three times per day, with a portion left to macerate for between 30-40 days to enhance structure and flavour. 70% of the wine is matured in new French oak for a period of 18 months which has resulted in additional complexity and structure as well as helping soften the tannins. This is a 10 barrel blend of the best quality red fruit that Pierro grows from the oldest Cabernet vines on the property.