2021 Origin Of Now Cabernet Sauvignon

96 points “A traditional winemaking approach has been taken here, including open-top fermentation and extended maturation. The best and most complete of any wine I have tasted from Miles. Deep and concentrated blackcurrant with added rich complexity from the black olive, dark chocolate and slight graphite nuances. Had about 17 months in French and Hungarian oaks. Has a dry chalky finish.” 

WA Wine Review 2024  / 2021 Origin of Now Cabernet Sauvignon 

 95 points “From the weighty bottle to the wine within, this is big and expansive across the full-bodied palate. Yet, there’s a plushness, too, a generosity of flavour from cassis, blackberry pie and a lovely array of spices – warm and exotic. Some heft to the tannins, yet refreshment throughout.” 

Halliday Wine Companion 2024 / 2021 Origin of Now Cabernet Sauvignon 

94 points "Medium-deep ruby with a subtle trace of purple in the meniscus; the bouquet features raspberry/mulberry/red fruit aromas, with tobacco and pencil-shavings wood notes, while the palate is medium bodied and quite elegant, with fine, powdery tannins that impart a savouriness. Moderate length. It seems slightly forward in development, but the flip side of that is that it's approachable young."

The Real Review / 2021 Origin of Now Cabernet Sauvignon

92 points “The fruit is supple and very fine, with raspberry, cut fennel, liquorice and cassis in profusion. The tannins are ductile and firm in the mouth but give way to fruit through the finish. It’s a lovely wine from a cool season, although its light weight due to the year may be the only quibble here.” 

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate  / 2021 Origin of Now Cabernet Sauvignon 

Vineyard: Glamorgan Estate

Wine Making Notes:

HARVEST

The two selected zones were hand-harvested into small crates on the 14th of April and after a few days of cold soak, the indigenous yeasts were allowed to ferment to reflect the exact terroir’s make-up. The complexity of the aromas broadened from delicate floral notes to warm spices and meaty elements while retaining the saline notes particular to Margaret River’s Cabernet expression. The skin maceration was extended for a month post fermentation, further solidifying the wine’s structure. Only the free run juice was barrelled down into our best French oak, with 1/3 new Troncais barrels that added support and even more flesh to the firm tannic backbone. 17 months of aging further developed the finish, now round but still full of the characteristic impetuosity of the variety, ready for years of aging and enjoyment.

The best barrels were assembled in November and bottled without fining or filtration to retain all the characteristics and elegance of the first vintage of our Origin of Now Cabernet.

VARIETY

The two small parcels selected to make this blend are located on a rare Wilyabrup terroir, with exceptionally weathered, free-draining, and gravelly soils. The vines were planted in the late 1990s on their own roots and yield very modestly. This combined with meticulous viticulture practices including double Guyot pruning, shoot thinning, strict VSP training and double-sided fruit zone leaf removal helped achieve full phenolic and organoleptic maturity despite some autumnal rains. A small parcel of clone 338 (~50% if the finished blend) was selected, providing a solid tannin structure and austere, elegant food-friendly varietal characters in the herbal and floral spectrum. The other micro-parcel selected for this blend was a Houghton clonal selection, a distinct Cabernet Sauvignon that built Margaret River’s reputation of fruit-forward power and density, bringing blackcurrants, cassis and savoury spices to the wine while retaining the grace of a medium-body.

POTENTIAL CELLARING

A cork closure was chosen to allow long aging with small oxygen ingress, making this wine well suited for long cellaring. Due to the living nature of this wine, sediments and crystals may be present and decanting is recommended.

Nose:

First aromas of cassis and bay leaf and black olive, followed by layers of tobacco and violets. 

Palate:
The palate is full of rich structured blackcurrant, plum, and sweet cedar, with gentle flavours of tomatoes, capsicum and dried herbs.

Allergens:

Alc %: 14.5%

750mL