CABERNET MERLOT 2009

TASTING NOTE

Initial aromas are of cassis and redskin combined with some dulcet strawberry cream. Shades of sweet cigar and tobacco on the palate are backed with red fruit and a touch of chocmint. Raspberry leaf tannins in the finish are fluid yet sinewy and persistent, and the chocmint finale makes this a delixiously alluring wine.
Ryan Walsh, winemaker

THE SEASON

Spring 2008 was wet and blustery hampering the `09 fruit set and reducing yields quite significantly. The cool summer meant that harvest started two and a half weeks after our normal start time. But with small crops came amazing intensity and quality. Due to a very late break in the season the red grapes were able to hang on long enough to achieve concentration and superb flavour.

VINEYARDS

Fruit is sourced from the Rocky Road vineyard which lies in the headwaters of the Chapman Brook, near Witchcliffe. With a northerly aspect, the vines enjoy long days of sunshine, moderated by the vineyard's southern location. The soils are tough laterite gravels in which the zinfandel, a hardy drought tolerant cultivar, thrives. All vines on the McHenry Hohnen vineyards are grown on a single bilateral cordon with a vertically trained canopy. It is a simple and practical format that maximises light penetration and maintains a balanced vine.

VINIFICATION

This wine comprises approximately 49% cabernet and 44% merlot, with small parcels of petit verdot and malbec making up the balance. Fruit is crushed into small open fermenters, and pressed off still with a touch of sweetness. It is then transferred to French oak barrels, most of which are 2 and 3 years old, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation. It is held in oak for 12 months prior to bottling.
Alc 14.5%
pH 3.56
Acidity 5.7
r/s 0.3

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