2014 Malbec
After a good growing season there was no rain at all over summer 2014 stretching through to the end of vintage, at the start of April. The flavours had the opportunity to develop fully as good acids and low ph came into balance.
The Malbec vines are now 16 years old and the roots are deep and established and have the strength to cope with the variances each vintage brings. This is, of course, what we are trying to achieve and the intensely flavoured fruit is reflecting the warm vintage.
It is anticipated that wines of this vintage will be long lasting wines, which are big in flavour and style.
Winemaking Notes
Picked at 14 Baume on 14th March, from the dry grown, estate fruit. The wine was hand plunged in small batch open top fermenters with a total of 8 days on skins to achieve a brightly fruited wine with a juicy and generous mouthfeel. The wine comprises 94% malbec and 6% Petit Verdot fruit. It has been matured in French oak barriques, 25% new, for 16months.
Tasting Notes
Aromatically this wine shows great clarity of fruit. Pronounced blueberry, raspberry and dark cherry characters are heightened by subtle spice and floral notes. The palate is plush and opulent revealing a dark, ripe fruit profile of plum, currants and blackberries. Subtle liquorice spice and mocha characters linger on the finish.
Reviews
The Wine Front | 93 / 100 Points
Plum, violets, bay leaf, a bit of liquorice, spice too. Medium bodied, pleasing redcurrant and plum flavour sprinkled with a seasoning of dried herb and spice. Tannin offers some chalky grip and texture, acidity is fresh and breezy, and there’s a tobacco, dried rose and redcurrant finish of precision and fine length. They’re doing good work with Malbec over at Victory Point.
James Halliday Wine Companion | 95 / 100 Points
One of those distinguished, albeit small, producers of Malbec in Margaret River that throw down the gauntlet to Langhorne Creek and Clare Valley. The Mediterranean climate of the Clare Valley is shared with Langhorne Creek, but the soil is very different in Margaret River, giving the wine a freshness and juicy precision to its dark plum fruit.