2001
Glenmore Cabernet Sauvignon
Although the Glenmore name is
relatively new, its pedigree as a vineyard is well established through the
provision of its fruit to neighbouring Margaret River icon, Moss Wood winery
since 1997.
Vibrant, elegant, yet weighty,
this wine follows on from the well received Moss Wood “Glenmore Vineyard”
Cabernet Sauvignon Ian and long term employer Keith Mugford have produced over
six vintages from fruit supplied by Ian’s Glenmore vineyard.
This wine sits comfortably with
its local peers in terms of its depth of flavour and robust tannin structures.
It has an attractive dusty quality, which has become the trademark Willyabrup
character, although Ian is keen to brand the wine as from the Yallingup area of
Margaret River.
Ian attributes the underlying
strength of this wine to the exacting viticultural approach he sees as essential
to producing leading wines and distinguishing Glenmore as an emerging label.
That approach involves a team
of people working for four months during the growth season at the property to
ensure the best possible result through foliage positioning shoot thinning and
increased exposure from leaf plucking in conjunction with fruit thinning. Few
wine growers in the area go to these lengths.
The vines originate from the Dorham Mann
Houghton’s clone trial. Vines from the trial are credited for producing some
of Western Australia’s great and remarkable wines.
The grapes are harvested,
destemmed, placed in open fermenters and cold soaked for three days. After this
time the ferment is allowed to warm up and fermentation is triggered by wild
yeast. Ian uses a technique known as sequential inoculation, in which cultured
yeast is added to the open fermenters early in the process. The ferments are
hand plunged four times a day and when finished are pressed to taste, into
barrels for malolactic fermentation. After this, they are racked and adjusted
before spending two years on oak. The wine is the bottled and given 12 months
before release.
The wine is approachable now
after some good decantering time, but given good cellaring conditions, can be
aged in the medium term with confidence: say for five to seven years. (Click
here to download the PDF.) |
