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This is Merlot knocks a powerful punch with juicy fruit and generous, approachable tannin as well as rich dark chocolate notes. Season Challenging seasons do occur in Margaret River, and vintage 2015 was one of them. Yields were low due to various factors, including rain and unsettled weather in spring. Wet and windy conditions continued into early summer then January and February were dry and warm, with few hot spikes. As autumn arrived, so too did Cyclone Olwyn on the far northern coast, bringing rain and some nervousness to southern vineyards. However, the season then settled for the usual extended warm, dry, long ripening period, and the red harvest, though smaller than usual, was of excellent quality. Winemaking The fruit was handpicked and destemmed before fermentation in open fermenters, with a mix of hand plunging and drain-and-return, as required. The wine was matured in a mix of old and new oak barrels from select Bordelais coopers. Tasting Note This wine from Brindle Vineyard in the heart of Margaret River is full of plush red and black fruits with dark chocolate and herbal notes and supple Merlot tannins. Region Brindle Vineyard in the Wilyabrup is just inland from the wild shores of the Indian Ocean, which brings soothing cool breezes in summer. Between the vineyard and the sea is a rocky outcrop that holds a clue to the history of the Earth itself - a granite belt formed in the Precambrian supercontinent, Rodinia, when what is now India was joined to this corner of Western Australia. This ancient geology gives the area its soils of decomposed granite with coffee rock and iron stone. The vines were planted in 1998 and are trained on VSP trellis. A relative newcomer to the international wine scene, Margaret River is one of the most reliable wine growing regions in Australia and quickly established a reputation for distinctive and world-class Merlot, Cabernet and blended wines. Seasons are consistently warm and dry with cooling ocean breezes, providing a long ripening period well-suited to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

WOODLANDS Clémentine Eloise Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is vibrant and robust with great balance from the bouquet of ripe forest fruits and violet on the nose; A refined structure of tannins, oak use and the acidity on the palate; All are great indications of a wine that would benefit from careful bottle maturation for many years to come.

Vasse Felix, Margaret River's founding wine estate, was established by Dr Thomas Brendan Cullity in 1967. Among his first plantings were Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, from which he produced the estate's first red wine. The Tom Cullity descends from these original vines and represents the pinnacle of Vasse Felix. The inaugural release will be in May 2017, coinciding with Vasse Felix's 50th Anniversary.

Tasting Notes: Select parcels from mature vines and an outstanding vintage combine to make this special wine with ripe blackberries and cassis balanced by savoury bay leaf, driving tannin and spicy oak. Season: Inclement weather at flowering during October and November, including cold night time temperatures and rainfall led to low yields across the region. Berry development was hampered by wet and very windy conditions in spring and early summer. Disease pressure was minimal although bird pressure occurred as a consequence of the delayed blossoming of Marri flowers. From early March an autumn weather pattern set in with the passing Cyclone Olwyn, the region experienced some rain with cooler night time temperatures. This effectively extended the ripening period for red wine varieties quite nicely giving them more hang time to enhance fruit development flavour profiles with softer tannin levels arising as a consequence. Winemaking: Handpicked in April in fine, warm conditions. Fermented in open fermenters with hand plunging and drain-and-return as required. Matured in the finest new and old French barriques.

Certified biodynamic and organic. Magnificent pitch black colour with a very deep bright dark red black hue. On the nose a lovely mix of red to black currant and mulberry scents morph into violet, vanillin cedar, dried herb, tobacco, black olive and spicy bay leaf notes. Medium bodied, elegant and superbly structured, the palate features a tightly knit matrix of red to black currant, mulberry and black olive flavours. Bright youthful acidity and an assertive grainy tannin structure provide an iron girder like core. Notions of tobacco, dried herbs, vanillin cedar and spicy bay leaf infusions also chime in. Restrained and understated in its power at present it concludes long and rich yet compact. Cellar 10-20 years. Alc. 13%

A producer of distinction, Howard Park fashion wines with that rare and beguiling combination of elegance and power. Favourably likened to the great wines of Bordeaux, this wine will reward careful cellaring for many years.

Our 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon has an intense crimson colour. The nose reveals aromas of mixed spices, dark fruits, and toasty French oak. The palate is deep and powerful; showing a ripe spectrum of red to dark fruits combined with star anise, clove, and allspice. The finish is incredibly long, with firm but fine tannins. We consider our 2010 vintage to be the most complete and complex Cabernet Sauvignon produced at Woodlands.

One word - legend. Jack Mann served Houghton for a remarkable 51 consecutive vintages. His determination to create wines of intensity, elegance and regional character have inspired a generation of Australian winemakers to achieve great things. Simply one of this country's greatest Cabernets, this wine is not just single vineyard fruit, the selection process is so rigorous that often it is just a few rows from the Justin Vineyard. Such is the reverence for that great man - Jack Mann.

This wine is a great example of why Margaret River is such a powerhouse in the cabernet department: concentration, savoury tannins, spice, and plenty of fruit. Blend of Cabernet sauvignon/Malbec/Petit Verdot. Delicious from the first to the last sip, with its very long finish.