For our first Ironstone Cabernet Sauvignon we selected fruit from our “Orchard Block”, which was planted in 1967, using the famous low yielding “Reynell Clone”. The 50 year old “Basket Weaved” vines provided us with a very robust Cabernet, with excellent varietal character, backbone and longevity to produce an Ironstone wine.
We barrel fermented 25% of the wine in new French oak barriques, with 75% matured in 3-4- year-old barriques. Oak maturation was 26 months.
This full bodied Cabernet shows blackberry, blueberry, mint julep, rosemary and ripe red capsicum on the bouquet, with hints of cedar and toasted almond from the oak.
The powerful intense palate delivers, blackcurrant, bramble, black olive, tobacco and red currants, enhanced by tinges of celery seed and lemony oak, all enveloped by front forward tannins, that balance and control the ripe fruit.
Geoff Johnston