2018 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon *
Cabernet Sauvignon grows in ideal conditions on the Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard thanks to the combined influence of elevation, aspect, prevailing winds, weather and ancient soils. The ability to consistently retain expressive and fragrant aromas and obtain deep tannin ripeness with concentrated fresh flavors makes Trueman one of the estate’s most highly regarded wines. Violet, blueberry, purple olive and cedar aromas lead to rich blueberry, blackberry and plum flavors. Tannins are long and layered, delivering exceptional depth of flavour and a long, seamless impression that ages very well.
Block information: Blocks 200s(58%) – 2.6-hectare contoured planting from 1971. A relatively shallow soil. Brown, yellowish-red, silty light clay with greater than 50% siltstone fragments and a layer of subsoil with over 50% quartz fragments, all sitting over a bedrock of pale-yellow siltstone. Yield of 7.5-tonnes per hectare;Blocks 300s(27%) – 2.5-hectare contoured planting from 1971. Moderate depth soil. Dark yellowish-brown light clay loam with 10-20% fragments of siltstone, overlying a pale yellow, layered siltstone, which is ferruginous in places (presence of ironstone). Yield of 6-tonnes per hectare;Blocks 100s(15%) – 1.8-hectare planting from 2002. A relatively shallow soil. Brown, silty clay loam with 20-50% siltstone fragments, above a clay-weathered yellow siltstone layer, all over bedrock of layered yellow siltstone. Yield of 5.6-tonnes per hectare.
Winemaking: Hand-picked from the 20th to 26th of March. Destemmed and whole berry sorted. Gently crushed into open top fermenters. Cold soaked and pumped over daily with a minimum of 18 days on skins. Basket pressed with light pressings added back to the free run juice. Heavier pressings kept separate and not included in the blend. Racked and returned twice during maturation for 15 months, aged in fine-grain Bordeaux coopered barrels (75% new). Bottled September 2019. Screw cap.Â
