Moss Wood Moss Wood Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River Moss Wood is one of the Margaret River originals (planted 1969; first vintage 1973) and this iconic flagship wine Langtons Classified since 1990 has long been Western Australias leading Cabernet Sauvignon. Figures from the cellarage company Wine Ark show that it consistently rates as Australias Most Collected Cabernet. Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon is intensely perfumed and finely structured with cassis-blackcurrant aromas, hints of cedar and touches of violet. The oak and fruit are neatly balanced. With proven ageing potential the wine develops subtle earth/demi-glace briar characters on the bouquet, and complexity and suppleness on the palate. The unirrigated and widely spaced vineyard (now 14.86-hectares) is planted on gentle north-east facing slopes with sandy loams to a gravelly red/brown loams over clay. Typically the fruit is hand-picked, de-stemmed into open tanks and hand-plunged four times a day until completion of fermentation. At the end of vinification, the wine is allowed to macerate for around 10 to 14 days prior to pressing off into barrel. The wine is matured in 30% new and seasoned French oak barriques for 24 months.

Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon, which also includes a small percentage of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot is a foil to the more opulent mainland styles. Violets, roses and blackcurrants pervade through the wine like an English country garden. The tannins are especially fine grained and there is a beautiful freshness and mineral quality on the palate. The parcels of fruit are batch vinified in stainless steel tanks before maturation in 100% new oak for between two and three 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.

While the estate known as Chateau Haut-Bailly dates back to 1461, its wine production began in 1530, falling into the hands of the de Leuvarde and Le Bailly families in 1630. It was purchased in 1998 by Robert G Wilmers, a Harvard-educated banker, and his French wife Elisabeth and under their care, the estate has begun producing some of the best wines in its history. The cellars and production procedures were renovated and modernised and this year, the Chateau itself was awarded government recognition of its cultural and vinious heritage.