Snake + Herring Calypso Merlot Cabernet Franc 2012
Wine Specs
Vintage
2012
Bottling Date
1753-01-01
Alcohol %
14
In Stock
Tasting Note
Aroma
Tannins are grainy, drying yet balancing and long with a finish of floral, ripe cherry and cedar notes. Oak is absolutely integrated and adds a near creamy note.
ClosureScrewcap
GrapeCabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec
Grape Variety
59% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet
Sauvignon
Maturation
Maturation is in 34% new French oak 225L barriques and 66% one year old 500L puncheons.
Oaked0
Palate
Plum, mulberry, rose petal, fresh turned earth and dried herbs lead this unusual blend into plush, layered succulence through the palate.
VarietalV_REDBLEND
Vinification
De-stemmed into open top fermenters each variety is fermented separately (half “wild”) and hand-plunged until dryness. All ferments are then left on skins up to 4 weeks to build and soften the mouthfeel of the tannins.
RegionMargaret River - WA
Region CodeDWAMARGRIV
Region Notes
Wilyabrup, Margaret River, Western Australia
StateWA
Subregion
WinemakerTony Davis
Wine StyleRed (Full Bodied)
Wine Specs
Vintage
2012
Bottling Date
1753-01-01
Alcohol %
14
Wine Profile
Awards
James Halliday
92
2015/07/27
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion, July 2015
Smart wine. Neat, smooth, and gutsy-enough. Fruit is in the blackcurrant and mulberry spectrum with varietal notes of bay leaf, cut grass and hay adding the necessary complexity. Chocolatey oak adds a feel-good element. Price, style and quality in the buyer's favour.
Drink By: 2021
Winemaker Notes
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are often blended all around the world of wine. Petit Verdot is a near forgotten cog, a variety of such surreal potency that only a few percent in a blend ultimately change the style. We like it. Malbec has also found a home here; far from a waif or stray its more the prodigal son returned. Troublesome, yet powerful, it needs judicious handling. The blend is from 3 vineyards in the north of the Margaret River region each having over 20 years vine age. Each individual wine was impressive and showed the extraordinary quality of the 2011 vintage, but the blend had something extra.