Description
Winemaker Matthew Byrne introduces Evans & Tate’s Classic range. (Video: E&T YouTube)
TASTING NOTES
Colour
Deep purple-red in colour with a bright purple rim.
Aroma
Pure, lifted notes of mulberry and plum, with hints of violet.
Palate
Classical Cabernet Merlot characters found only in wines from Margaret River. The bright, supple fruit core of rich mulberry carries from the nose, with intriguing violet, earth and leafy characters. Lovely plum notes on the mid-palate thanks to the contribution of the Merlot. Medium bodied but with great flavour length and overall balance.
Cellaring
Drinking well now and will continue to do so up to five years from vintage.
TECHNICAL
Vintage
2016 was a very distinct vintage across the board in Margaret River. A dry, warm spring was followed by tropical rain events in the run-up to harvest. The red varieties (especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) certainly appreciated this rainfall, which ensured the fruit looked exceptional. Cabernet Sauvignon was the star, with a higher yield than previous years giving better vine balance and rate of ripening, with smaller bunches and some of the smallest berries seen for many years. This gave the fruit great think skins and flavour concentration, creating Cabernet wines of tremendous quality.
Winemaking
The emphasis for the Classic Cabernet Merlot is to highlight the purity of fruit flavours. The grapes were picked in the cool of the morning to ensure a slow, steady onset to fermentation. The Merlot portion was cold soaked for 5 days pre-fermentation which was followed by an early pressing to ensure a softly structured wine at blending. The wine matured in well seasoned old oak barriques and hogheads for 10 months prior to bottling.
Analysis
- pH: 3.44
- Acidity (TA): 6.97g/L
FOOD PAIRING
West Australian lamb with garlic mashed potatoes.
