Yallingup is our stomping ground and where the world’s greatest Cabernet and Cabernet blends are being grown! It’s deliciously warm but never hot, with the amazing dual influence of the Indian Ocean and Geographe Bay. For this year’s Cabernets we have again used our own beloved Sheoak Cabernet and added some of our neighbour’s Merlot from the Simpson property, with which we’re lucky enough to share the amazing valley. The final player again is a slinky little parcel of Malbec.
In the throes of a global pandemic, sometimes shit still goes right. My opinion of the 2020 vintage for Margaret River Cabernet is a little mixed – and that’s because (in my opinion) some people rushed to pick vineyards somewhat early. In the Yallingup Hills we enjoyed a lovely warm March - not too hot, not too cold and importantly largely dry - allowing fruit to be picked at its zenith.
We started picking Sheoak Cabernet on 27th March and from the moment the fruit hit the fermenter it looked destined to be a classic. Instantly perfumed and richly coloured, the wine spent 14 days on skins with a peak fermentation temperature around 28˚C. The wine was pressed to tank and settled briefly, before being transferred to a combination of new (25%) and two and three-year-old barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine was only racked once in this time and, after 14 months in oak, was emptied from barrel. At this juncture we decided the final makeup, which is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon 15 % Merlot and 13% Malbec. These wines were then settled together clarified and bottled.
Cabernet is King and long will it reign in our eyes. This is our favourite Nocturne Cabernets yet with epic drinkability yet huge complexity and verve. If Ernest Hemingway were still alive, he’d be pouring this in by the bucketful. A cassis-laden dream if you will. - Julian & Alana Langworthy