Torpedo Rocks Cabernet Merlot 2018

67% Cabernet Sauvignon / 33% Merlot

Yield: 4 tonne/hectare

Soils: Black loam over limestone, sandy loam over clay and non wettable sandy loam over clay

Winemaking: A selection of cabernet picked from various paddocks within the vineyard - low yields to ensure maximum sugar and flavour ratio. Hand-picked, basket pressed with fermentation in open vats to ensure gentle tannin extraction. Barrel aged for 18 months. 100% Grande Reserve French Oak used with the new oak component being 35% with 2 to 4 year old oak barriques. Minimal intervention when bottled.

Tasting Comments:  Where the 2019 vintage was chompy (technical wine term) and robust, like an annoying younger sibling, the 2018 vintage is refined and had the benefit of attending an expensive Swiss Finishing School to learn deportment and which fish fork to use. When I first tasted this wine I was transported to a patisserie whereby I was deciding to have the frangipani tart, the warm lavender scones, the fruitcake or the vanilla crème brulee with the burnt sugar topping. On each table were vases of violets also competing for attention. The secondary notes then hit full of big juicy red fruits befitting the 2018 awesome growing season. The palate is textural, firm and completely full with lusciousness and a long velvety finish. The finishing school lessons certainly paid off.