Jamessuckling.com | JS 94
Published: May 26, 2020

An attractively floral cabernet with violet and dried-rose notes, as well as dried leaves, forest wood, mint and wet earth. The fruit sits in the blackcurrant, blueberry and purple-cherry zone. A succulent palate with ripe but fine, long tannins, carrying plenty of purple and blue-fruit flavors. Classically Australian in character and delivered with an impressive eye to elegance. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 

Winemaker

The Name 
The Name Coppermine Road runs parallel to our very best Cabernet vineyard in McLaren Vale, just metres from the winery, cellar door and restaurant. Planted to an almost extinct clone, this vineyard rarely yields greater than one tonne to the acre.

The Vintage
The season began well with average winter rainfall, Summer conditions were significantly warmer than average with two heatwaves through January testing the limits of the vines. Following the heatwave were rain and cool weather, which helped slow down ripening, and allowed flavour development to catch up to sugar ripeness. White wines from this vintage are fruity and very flavoursome, as are reds with ample tannin to match.

The Winemaking
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to five tonnes headed down open fermenters. These batches remain separate until final blending. Foot treading is undertaken two-thirds of the way through fermentation. The wine is then basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and used French oak barriques to complete fermentation. The barrel ferments are aged on lees, there is no racking until final blending and no fining or filtration.

The Characteristics
Vibrant, aromatic and powerful. The nose is bursting with blackberry, beetroot, and alpine herbs. The palate is earthy and medium weight, with coarse tannin and spicy acidity. This wine is elegant, yet brutish, showing great balance and character. The tannins and acidity need time to soften. Sit back and be patient.

Cellaring Potential
While enjoyable in youth, this wine will reach its full potential with bottle age up to at least 20 years. The considerable structure and depth will ensure that the fruit characters will develop over time revealing more complexity and providing immense interest. This wine is best stored in an environment free of direct sunlight and with consistent temperatures between 10?C and 15?C.

Harvest dates 19 Feb - 7 Apreb - 7 Apr
Residual sugar 1.5 g/L
pH 3.51
Alcohol 14.5%
Titratable acid 7.1
Oak maturation 18 months