Woodlands Russell Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River
Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from our original vines on a south-facing slope. Each year the wine is named after a family member or a friend. The “Russell” Cabernet is named after Russell Cook. Russell is famous for his winemaking but also for his Ironman pedigree.
This Cabernet Sauvignon blend is sourced from original plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The soil profile of this slope is generally sandy loam over gravel and clay. The top of the slope, where the Cabernet Franc is planted, has significantly more gravel in its soil. These four small plots receive the greatest number of sunlight hours in the vineyard, but the east-west orientation of the vines ensures a slow fruit maturation and are the last batches harvested each year.
Fom the original Cabernet plantings (1973), the 2015 Russell Cabernet Sauvignon Woodlands Vineyard somewhat confusingly features a different family member's moniker each year. The age of the vines and class of the terroir shows clearly through. Rich cassis fruit combines seamlessly with luxurious French oak in a captivating swirl of aromas and flavors, lingering on the finish.
95 points, Wine Advocate (February 2019)
"As soon as this is poured it starts to morph, offering wafts of roses, mulberry and blackberry one minute, warm earthy black olive and ironstone the next. It hovers around medium-bodied, but it has terrific depth and length with perfectly pitched savoury tannins. Glorious Wilyabrup cabernet sauvignon."
97 points, Wine Companion (February 2019)
Margaret River
Located three hours south of Perth, Margaret River is Western Australia’s most prestigious wine-growing region. Serious vineyard development began only in the late 1960’s following the publication of a report by John Gladstones in 1965 stating that the area had a similar climate to Pomerol or St Emilion, with low frost risk, plenty of sunshine and equable temperatures within the growing season promoting even ripening. Margaret River’s climate is warm and maritime, with some cooling influence provided by southeast trade winds. The soils derive from granitic and a gneissic rock over which laterite has formed. The region can be divided in three sub-regions: the cooler south between Yallingup and Karridale with predominantly lateritic gravelly loamy sands and sandy loams; the warm and sunnier Willyabrup in the centre with predominantly gravelly loams, but some gritty sandy loams and granitic gravels; and Margaret River in the north with similar soils, but slightly cooler temperatures. This is entirely consistent with style; the wines from Willyabrup being more generous than the highly structured wines of the north and the elegant styles of the south. Margaret River is best known for high quality Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blends and top notch Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Over the years, the region has established an astonishing reputation illustrating a consistency in quality and a strongly focused winemaking culture.
