2020 Ashbrook Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon

Bright ruby with purple hues. Aromas of redcurrants, cherry plum, raspberry compôte, vanilla and spice. Youthful palate fleshing out to show red and darker fruits, ample tannin and focus for longevity. Decant for optimal enjoyment. (VF)

Grapes are hand-picked over several mornings to capture the best characteristics of each site. Four-tonne parcels of pure berries are cold soaked, inoculated and gently plunged every three hours in temperature-controlled, open, stainless steel fermenters. After desired extraction the wine is racked off skins and completes MLF in tank prior to ageing in 100% premium French oak barriques (20% new) for a minimum of 18 months. After blending, filtration and bottling the wine further matures in our underground, climate-controlled cellar for 18 months before release. The resulting wine bursts with raspberry jelly crystal and sweet violet aromas. Ripe red berries, cherry plum fruit leather and hints of cassis saturate the palate with fine-grained tannins creating a succulent, velvety mouth-feel. Subtle, leafy nuances typical of old vine Wilyabrup Cabernet and elegant French oak spice add layers of complexity creating a wine that evolves beautifully in the glass. Ashbrook Estate has made this traditional Bordeaux-style blend since 1984.

Vintage number 42 at Ashbrook saw one of our earliest starts to harvest with the first
Chardonnay grapes coming into the winery on February 4th. Less than ideal spring
weather impacted flowering and fruit-set in several white varieties resulting in lowerthan-normal yields. Above average spring temperatures evolved into perfect summer
growing conditions which accelerated grape development. Timely flowering of native
Marri trees kept bird pressure at bay. The combination of lower yields, a warm, dry
ripening and no disease pressure resulted in fruit of exceptional quality with
concentrated aromas and flavours.
VINEYARD
Our “Old Cab” block Houghton clone cuttings were collected from the Agricultural Department ‘Source Block’ in the Swan Valley and planted (1976) on the gravelly uplands of Wilyabrup’s Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge. Originally all dry-grown on a VSP trellis, 90% of this block was converted to a cane-pruned, lyre trellis in 1998 with immediate and brilliant results. Due to its ultimate suitability to the region and increased demand, the “Young Cab” block was also planted (1998) using cuttings from the original vines which were trained up to a cane-pruned, lyre trellis. Coupled with the application of composted mulch, the vineyard shows remarkable health and balance producing super premium fruit year in year out.