2018 Hardy's HRB Cabernet Sauvignon

Colour Inky purple with bright crimson hue. Bouquet Rich in lifted aromas of black currant, mulberry, violet with dried herbs, tobacco leaf and notes of dark chocolate and black olive. Palate A concentrated and richly textured with layers of dark berry fruit flavours, cassis, green and dark chocolate. Notes of peppercorn, bay leaf, mint and sweet spice contribute to the complexity. Maturation in fine grained French oak underwrites the palate structure and adds subtle vanillin spice, sweetness and texture.

History shows that Thomas Hardy first blended grapes from multiple regions in 1865. Thomas believed that blending grapes with different characteristics would complement and enhance the qualities of each region. So began Hardy’s rich blending heritage; with each new blend a unique code was created starting from A001. 2017 HRB Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant and balanced wine made using Thomas Hardy’s traditional methods of blending wine from the best regions in Australian to produce the best wine possible. Premium parcels of cabernet from McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Margaret River and Frankland River were hand-picked and berry sorted, before undergoing a cool natural open fermentation, basket pressing and ageing in fine grain French oak. Meticulous blending has resulted in this outstanding example of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. Record breaking winter and spring rainfalls preceded almost perfect growing season conditions for Vintage 2017. Healthy canopies and above average crops combined with an extended mild summer with minimal heat spikes to produce very high quality fruit. Harvest began around 2 weeks later than in recent years with fruit showing excellent colour and flavour with bright natural acidity.