2021 Attollo Cabernet Sauvignon Wilyabrup

The Attollo Cabernet Sauvignon 2021was made from a sustainably farmed parcel of fruit from the Wilyabrup Subregion in the Margaret River region.  The fruit was hand tended throughout the growing season following solely organic practices with no herbicide.  The block is on Metricup Road, with a flat to slight southern aspect.  The vines are 20 years old and cane pruned, shhot thinned and hand leaf plucked.  The wine was made utilising a “hands-off” approach, with a focus on limited additions, gravity flow operations and Biodynamique principles.  The vinification aimed to create an elegant wine with structure and depth that will provide ageability for the medium term, depending on your cellaring conditions.

The 2021 growing season started out with some problematic spring conditions, with a warm start but then cool rainy period- making for uneven budburst.   The growing season was quite hot and humid but then was plagued with a lot of vintage rain and finished off with a cyclonic event. Luckily this came off a few days before the cyclone rains came.  2021 reds are flavoursome but needed a lot of care in harvest timing and vinification to express pretty fruit characters and palateable tannin profiles.

The Cabernet Sauvignon for this wine was sourced from the Wilyabrup Sub-region of the Margaret River Appellation.  The fruit was sourced from vines planted in 1992, so 29  year old vines in 2021, grown using a cane pruned VSP trellis on karri loam soils.  The site has a gentle north aspect and moderate vigour- just requiring a light hedge if at all—perfect natural balance.   The fruit was grown sustainably following organic practices, with no herbicide use.

2.5t of Metricup Road Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon was selectively harvested in mid April on a Biodynamic fruit day.  The target was ripe fruit flavours and sweet fine tannin, with intense subtelty, and elegant balance.  The fruit was processed after harvest and sorted again to an open fermenter to soak for a few days.  The fruit warmed up slowly and ferment initiated naturally after this time and the ferment was pumped over twice daily – initially for 10-15 minutes per tonne and less later in the ferment.  The Cabernet was left on skins for 5 weeks to build mid palate sweetness and structure through extended maceration.  Once deemed ready, the Cabernet was basket pressed to barrel, of which 20% was one year old Demptos Tight Grain Medium Toast French oak barriques.  The Cabernet was left to go through malolactic ferment on lees, after which a small amount of sulphur was added and it was matured on lees for 14 months, with monthly stirring for the first 12.  The final wine was blended after 14 months maturation in June 2022 and left to clarify and stabilise in stainless steel drums.  The wine was bottled without fining or filtration in October 2022.

pH 3.61

Titrateable Acidity [TA] 5.7g/L

Residual Sugar [RS] 0.2g/L

Volatile Acidity [VA] 0.64g/l

Alcohol 13.6%

Cases Bottled 

1300L

288 6 pack screw cap

Cellaring Best

 Best 2022-25, Maximum 2030

Taste [30/10/22]

The wine has a moderately deep red centre with a pink red hue.  The nose exudes perfumed blue and black fruits, with hints of freshly turned earth and blackcurrant in the background.  The palate is deliberately moderate with restraint and elegance.  The wine currently has a supple and flavoursome midpalate, with lovely fine dry tannins, affording a dry finish.  Quite structured now but this should soften and smoothen in the short term. 

The aim is to make something Intensely Subtle.  At first impression – it may seem a bit light, a bit lacking, but I pose the question – is it?  Enjoy a glass, or the bottle and think about it.   The 2021 did not utilise any new French oak but some once used second use barrels- imparting a gentler oak infusion than previous Attollo Cabernet Sauvignons.