Excellent hue; an altogether superior wine, displaying both varietal and regional typicity; blackcurrant, cassis, black olive, quality oak and balanced savoury tannins all play their part. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2018 $20 Date Tasted Jul 09 James Halliday
There’s some real value coming out of Margaret River these days. This is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec with 100% of the dry grown Cabernet Sauvignon portion off the estate and 20 % Merlot portion from bought in fruit from a vineyard 2 kms away.
Empty chocolate wrapper, fragrant wet cement and gum leaf perfume, blackcurrant and blackberry - lovely smelling wine. It’s medium bodied and correctly dry with light dry tannins, a slight twigginess and a savoury earthy cast combined with fresh crushed berry fruit. It has lots of jump and jive, good length and a dry finish. Not deep or profound but classy and refreshing - it’s the sort of thing I’d seek out to drink at this price point. Drink : 2009 - 2013 90 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec
The 2008 Fraser Gallop Estate Cabernet Merlot follows on from the highly sort after inaugural 2007 which, in its short wine show run won two gold medals in consecutive national wine shows and was a Jimmy Watson Trophy finalist at the 2008 Royal Melbourne Wine Show. The 2008 vintage was slightly cooler with flavour ripeness in the more elegant vein, with savoury flavours complementing red berry fruits in its profile. The blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot has been proven in Margaret River’s short history and elsewhere, such as Bordeaux where the blend originated. The varieties work so well because structural tannins of Cabernet are tamed by the inherent mid-palate richness and softness of the Merlot grape.
