Driven by a desire to make Australia’s best cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon, Black Wattle was created in the early 1990s after an extensive Australia-wide search to identify a site perfectly suited to this noble, late ripening variety. Mt Benson on South Australia’s rugged Limestone Coast was chosen because of its prized terra rossa soil, pristine underground water supply, and a heat summation index similar to Bordeaux – the spiritual home of Cabernet. These building blocks provide the perfect ingredients for making majestic, long-lived Cabernet, and when combined with the skills of expert vigneron Andrew Murdock and award-winning winemaker Neil Doddridge, greatness is guaranteed. In the 24 vintages since the first wine was released, Black Wattle Cabernet has won a staggering 308 Wine Show Medals. Little wonder it’s considered Mt Benson’s most awarded red wine.
Mt. Benson … 600,000 years in the making
Mt Benson lies on the edge of the Southern Ocean, with only water and ice between it and Antarctica. This has a huge impact on the region’s climate, helping to moderate daytime temperatures and lengthen the ripening period, which produces complex, full flavoured wines. Mt Benson boasts the same soil as near neighbour Coonawarra, but its mean temperature is about half a degree cooler, giving it the potential to produce even better wines. Both regions lie on an ancient dunal system formed over 600,000 years ago. The limestone base – one of the keys to growing premium Cabernet – is made from decomposed seashells, while the red terra rossa soil above is formed over thousands of years from slow and gradual oxidation. And while both regions have a lot in common, one striking thing makes Mt Benson unique: the scarcity of its wines.
The Chosen Ones
The Black Wattle Icon Cabernet Sauvignon is a labour of love for winemaker Neil Doddridge. The Black Wattle Vineyard has several patches of Cabernet, but over the years Neil has identified the very best blocks to use in the “Icon” Cabernet. It really is made from the best of the best, and that fanatical focus doesn’t end in the vineyard. After harvesting the grapes in the cool of night to help protect the delicate fruit flavours, Neil starts the fermentation conventionally before transferring the wine to new French oak to complete fermentation. This produces incredible flavour definition and allows the fruit and oak tannins to integrate, which gives the wine its incredible ability to age. After spending 18 months in oak, Neil personally tastes every single barrel, marking in chalk the ones that reach his exalted standards. He repeats the process another two times over the next two days to make sure his palate isn’t fatigued, selecting only the best 15 barrels (from the 150 he makes each vintage) for inclusion in the Black Wattle Icon Cabernet Sauvignon..
Discover why it’s such an incredible wine
RESERVE YOUR CASE NOW..
Oak: New and used French and American oak
Cellar: Drink now or cellar until 2025
Alcohol: 14.0%
Nose: Concentrated chocolate, plum and dried herbs – rich varietal characters, all combined with integrated fine toasty French and American oak; a very concentrated and complex bouquet
Palate: Great depth of concentrated rich fruit with typical varietal characteristics of tobacco and tea leaf notes combined with ripe blackcurrants; the intense fruit from the nose follows through on the palate. Well structured and even tannins balanced with fine acidity and rich earthy flavours produce a very special wine of great complexity and length.
Receive this magnificent wine at this special Reservation price, with guaranteed delivery.
$191.94 (6 pack)
+ delivery fee
Product Code: R5754
One-off purchase price (depending on stock availability after Reservations are fulfilled)
$240.00 (6 pack)
+ delivery fee
Product Code: R5754
Pair with Veal Cutlets with Sage and Capers
