2017 The Mallee Root

Vintage Notes

The vintage 2017 growing season was challenging in Margaret River. Cool growing conditions together with high summer rainfall brought pressures to the vineyard team. 22nd March will be remembered in Margaret River as the wettest March day in the history of grape growing in the region. April brought dry warm conditions back to our valley allowing the red varieties to fully ripen. Attention to the vines over the summer period resulted in the ripening of our fruit, disease free. The cabernet sauvignon and malbec fruit was picked on 8th April, at 13.0 Be and petit verdot on 1st May at 13.3 Be.

Winemaking Notes

On delivery to the winery the fruit is hand plunged in small batch open top fermenters with 7-14 days on skins to achieve a brightly fruited wine with good flesh and a both supple and refined tannin profile. The wine was pressed and racked to barrel where malolactic fermentation took place. French oak barrels were used, 25% of which were new. The wine varieties were vinified separately, aged in barrel for approximately 16 months before blending trials were undertaken to establish the perfect blend; Cabernet Sauvignon 56%, Malbec 34% Petit Verdot 10%.
The finished wine is vegan friendly and was bottled with screw cap closures in December 2018.
Alcohol 14.%, pH 3.56, 6.0 TA g/L

Tasting Notes

Luscious ripe berry fruit of raspberry mulberry black currant blueberry along with plum dark cherry with highlights of caramel and vanilla oak. As you’d expect from the aromas the palate delivers ripe juicy succulent fruit harmoniously balanced with fine savoury tannins and a mouth-watering finish with a hint of dark chocolate. Very satisfying. Has at least 10 years cellaring potential.