Trophy Winning 2008 Evans & Tate Redbrook Cabernet Now Available
Winemaker Matt Byrne describes the 2008 vintage as "once in a decade"
A cool 2006 vintage was followed by a warm 2007, so when Evans & Tate Winemaker Matt Byrne approached the 2008 vintage he was hopeful it might provide an element of in-between. As it turned out, the 2008 vintage exceeded his expectations and provided textbook Margaret River conditions, along with a Cabernet Sauvignon Matt describes as “once in a decade”.
Supporting Matt’s enthusiasm for the 2008 Evans & Tate Redbrook Cabernet Sauvignon were the judges at this year’s Sydney Royal Wine Show where the wine picked up a gold medal and the Trophy for Best Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon.
“Good winter rainfall was followed by a vintage that had consistent, even temperatures without any heat spikes. The result is a medium-bodied Redbrook Cabernet Sauvignon with lovely aromatics and tremendous length of flavour,” Matt Byrne said.
Since 1974, the winemaking philosophy of Evans & Tate has focused on maximising fruit quality in the vineyard, along with producing wines that are stylish and refined. Evans & Tate wines are crafted with fruit grown on carefully selected sites and the Redbrook range sources fruit from consistently outstanding vineyards and are made in only the best vintage years.
The vineyards for the 2008 Evans & Tate Redbrook Cabernet Sauvignon are located in the historical Wilyabrup area of Margaret River which is home to the oldest vines in the region. The canopy of each vine destined for the Redbrook wine is intensively managed from pruning through to shoot thinning, leaf removal and bunch dropping to achieve perfect balance and end flavour profile.
“Each year we are seeing the beauty of what age imparts to the vines and the resulting flavours. We are sourcing from some of the oldest vines in the region and as a result the wine continually displays an added depth to that classic Margaret River Cabernet style,” Matt added.
The fruit for this wine was night harvested to ensure it reached the winery as cool as possible. The fruit was then cold soaked on skins to provide a vibrant, stable colour and brightness to the flavour and aroma profile. The seeds were removed during ferment to deliver fineness to the tannin structure. In oak, each barrique was individually handled and treated as its own batch prior to blending.
“This vintage imparted a lovely intensity to the fruit, while still showing refinement and balance with the restrained use of oak ensuring the purity of the Cabernet varietal shone through. At blending, it was very much evident that the fantastic 2008 vintage delivered us a classic Margaret River Cabernet worthy of bottling under the Redbrook label.”
The 2008 Evans & Tate Redbrook Cabernet Sauvignon is now available nationally, priced at RRP$39.99.
