Inky dark red with crimson hues. A pungent core lift of blackcurrant, cracked black pepper, with dark chocolate and a splash of raspberry, is a truly impressive aromatic opening for this high country Eden Valley single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine continues in the same vein as a lean, elegant long distance runner of a palate, with granuley drying ‘humming’ tannins, underneath a runway strip of concentrated cassis and green peppercorns. 2018 Vintage Summary: The growing season in Eden Valley started off well, with winter 2017 rainfall up slightly higher than average. In spring, drier soils, combined with warmer than average spring days meant the vine canopies grew quickly; flowering well and setting a good number of bunches. Summer rainfall for us was down on average. January and February were warm and dry, with very warm temperatures in February slowing down the pace of ripening. With the lower summer rainfall, growers with access to water, soil moisture monitoring, good irrigation management and healthy soils experienced less stress – and subsequently delivered sound fruit and consistent yields. These are all practices that Brockenchack invest heavily into. The Indian summer of March and early April was what some people called ‘the icing on the cake’, with average temperatures, without extremes. Overall a strong, healthy crop for us. We commenced hand picking for the 2018 vintage on the 1st of March and ended with the picking of these Cabernet grapes on the 12th of April – seeing out an amazing vintage for Brockenchack this year. We are delighted with the high-quality grapes and great yields that this vintage delivered. The colours and flavours in our reds are exciting and the high level of natural acids in our whites reflect our great Eden Valley characteristics. Standout varieties for our region this year include Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet. We are very excited for the release of our reds.
