2008 Woodlands Margaret Reserve Cabernet Merlot Malbec

Woodlands Margaret is primarily sourced from a single slope that wraps around a hill on the south of Woodlands Vineyard, planted entirely with Cabernet Sauvignon.

This hill wraps around a 90 degree radius-facing east, north east and north. As the rows run north-south, the fruit on this slope receives a great deal of direct sunlight in the morning to mid-afternoon, at which time the angle of the slope creates its own shade from the late-afternoon light. Wines from this slope tend to ripen earlier, and have more up-front fruit characters than other wines from Woodlands.

The Merlot and Malbec plots that make up the remainder of the “Margaret” come from a west-facing slope of deep loam soil. This slope receives the most direct afternoon sunlight at Woodlands, and produces more exotic fruit characters in the finished wine.

Made from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 11% Malbec this wine was matured for 18 months in French oak. Opaque dark crimson red colour with deep crimson red hue. Classic refined Cabernet sniff with top notes of mulberry, cedar and blackcurrant followed by some cigar box like characters and a touch of spice. Medium bodied and elegant yet, possessing good richness the palate delivers flavours of blackcurrant and mulberry fruit followed by some cedary tobacco and spice on the back palate. Superb tannin integration gives the wine an almost velvet like mouthfeel. Excellent length with long aftertaste of blackcurrant, mulberry, cedar and spicy tobacco.
Cellar 5-6 years (2016-2017).
Alc 13.5%