Hay Shed Hill|Margaret River|Premium Wines

Vintage:	2005
Growing Region:	Margaret River 100%
Grape Varieties:	Cabernet Sauvignon 100%

In common with much of rural Australia the grapegrowing regions of Western Australia in the spring of late 2004 were in an extremely dry condition having come off a very poor winter. Dams were low and the soils were generally poorly hydrated and as a consequence yields were low. The early part of the season during late spring and early summer turned out mild and favourable to vine growth and fruit development. As temperature rose during the summer the dry conditions produced low crop yields of intensely flavoured grapes of the highest quality.

Winemaking

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the Hay Shed Hill vineyard were harvested at optimum ripeness from the outstanding 2005 vintage. The grapes were de-stemmed and put into open topped vessels for fermentation on skins with traditional pump over cap management. At the completion of fermentation the wine was left on skins for a further 10 days to maximize the development of the mature tannin. Maturation in French oak barriques for 15 months added further complexity and structure without dominating the fruit.

Colour

Dense dark red to black colour of great intensity.

Nose

An intense and rich bouquet led by the ripest cassis and berry fruits, rich and opulent but brooding in its youth. Behind the primary fruits are distinctive vineyard characteristics of dark chocolate and mint. The oak is background cedar which will recede further as the fruits emerge with some bottle age.

Palate

This vineyard consistently produces intense fleshy and full mid palate Cabernet with massive fruit weight with dark cherry and blackcurrant flavours. At the time of writing the wine is very youthful and tight but it still has ample fruit sweetness that will only become more accessible as the wine matures in bottle. This is a big full wine with ample flavour and concentration in the classic Margaret River mould.

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