Blackcurrants, cherries, dried cranberries and Satsuma plums feature on the nose at the forefront. Bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamon, cedar and clove combine with heightened lavender notes and hints of fresh tobacco. The palate is fine with a mineral thread. It is elegant and delicately layered. Blackcurrant and cherries feature again with a subtle cassis edge. The mid palate has supple flesh with cocoa, coffee bean and cassia leading to a graphite line and powdery tannins.

In the glass: Medium to deep red black. On the nose: Full of bright red cherry with hints of red olive and fine oak spice. On the palate: Quite a jubey and appealing red fruit core giving long and silken flavours that are generous and classy. Fine oak gives subtle support throughout. Lovely now yet with good mid-term potential.

Intertwining aromas and flavours of rhubarb, sour cherries, and smokey herbal spice excite the senses and deliver surprise. Harvested from a small block in Frankland River, the Nautica Cabernet is unfined and a true expression typical of the elegant approachable tannin of this cool climate region.

Moss Wood are not know for their Pinot Noir, however this is a fine a unique expression of region and variety. A fruit bomb of rich and integrated flavours of cherry, spice, charry oak and silky finesse on the finish. The flavours pop and linger in the mouth long after the wine has left it.

HAUT BAILLY II Second wine of Chateau Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Leognan

Grape variety - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Oak maturation - 15 months, 60% new and 40% 2 year old French oak barriques. Colour - Deep red with red-purple hue. Aroma - A ripe, concentrated and complex wine that’s loaded with cedar oak, cassis, bay leaf, damp earth, dried lavender and gravel dust. Palate - Rich and long with very fine tannin. There are classic Cabernet characters of cassis, bay leaf, mulberry, cocoa and lavender with cedar oak in support. A ripe, brooding wine that will benefit from decanting. Food matches - This wine suits the classics. Try with matured hard cheeses, rosemary infused lamb or rare beef fillet steak. Peak drinking - Drinking well upon release but has the potential to evolve and impress towards 2032. Viticulture - Fruit sourced to make the Yelverton is grown with absolute attention to detail. Identification of soil boundaries within blocks is the first step in selecting potentially superior fruit. Close monitoring and analysis of these vines leads to shoot or bunch thinning by hand if required to obtain the perfect balance for good exposure and healthy ripening. A philosophy of minimal inputs in these premium blocks allows the unique combination of variety, soil type and microclimate to shine through and produce a parcel of fruit with true character. The 2020 vintage was a near perfect growing season with mild day temperatures, cold nights and no heat spikes. Winemaking - Our Forester Yelverton Cabernet Sauvignon parcels are gently crushed to small open fermenters and receive a slight “drain-off’ of free run juice to increase the skin to juice ratio. This helps intensify the flavour, aroma and body of the wine without altering the underlying unique vineyard qualities present. A slow temperature controlled ferment is employed with daily draining away of fermenting juice under gravity and pumping back over the skins to assist in the extraction. Heading down boards keep the ‘cap’ of skins submerged beneath the cool fermenting wine to avoid excessive heat which we believe leads to a more refined wine. The ideal skin contact time in fermenter varies from one vintage to the next with the 2020 Cabernet spending an average 25 days in contact with skins before pressing out. The best parcels are aged in fine grained French oak barriques for 15 months with careful blending of the Yelverton taking place approximately three months prior to bottling. Storage and Bottling - The 2020 Yelverton was bottled in November of 2021 to premium claret glass with a stelvin closure. Stored in our temperature controlled cellar prior to release this wine is drinking exceptionally well now and with prudent storage should continue to show well towards 2032. Decanting recommended.