2022 SPRINGS HILL VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, fruit sourced from ‘Springs Hill Vineyard’, Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale grown by the Whaite family

Dry Grown on Holocene Sand, North East/South West aspect, 205-210m altitude. Planted 1975. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Certified Vineyard.

2022 is our first ever release of the Springs Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our love for Cabernet and ‘Claret’ in general is deep and the 2022 vintage saw us realise a lifelong dream. We knew Gary and Anthony Whaite had this block, and just quietly planted the idea into conversation for a few years until the offer came for some fruit.

Dry grown and Reynell Cabernet clone means tiny thick skinned berries in this part of the vale and they sure didn’t disappoint. One of the great assets of Cabernet Sauvignon is its tannin, meaning wines of great longevity being a natural preservative. Our aim however is to make a wine of refinement and elegance, to have the tannin but also ripe dark fruit purity.

Hand-picked, fully destemmed and crushed cold to a wax lined, 134yr concrete open fermenter. Mixed once daily until indigenous ferment commenced then two pump overs a day until dryness. One pump over a day until we were happy the tannins were where we wanted them. Two weeks on skins, pressed to tank for sugar dryness, then racked to a mix of barriques, hogsheads and puncheons, 23% new oak for 11 months. One rack and return off gross lees post malo.

Violets and bay leaf, blueberry, cedar, blackcurrants with HB pencil. Tightly framed, lithe and intense aromatics, a touch of graphite with a classical varietal sheath of aromas. Medium framed palate weight, structure is refined, discreet almost with fresh acidity and lovely tannins that quietly lengthen out the juicy primary fruit. 

13.5% Alc.

Vegan friendly

750mL