Description
10th generation winemaker and native of Bordeaux, Dominique Portet is regarded as a pioneer of the renaissance of the Victorian Wine industry since 1976 when he was responsible for the renowned wines of Taltarni and Clover Hill. Ben Portet is now at the winemaking helm and, like many Australian-born winemakers, spent time overseas to experience other terroirs, including vintages at Louis Roederer and Warwick Estate in South Africa. They now craft fine cool-climate wines in the Yarra Valley and this medium bodied Cabernet has the goods.
Notes from the winemaker about this wine: “For us, the Fontaine wines represent the full breadth of the Yarra Valley by sourcing from a range of vineyards in both the northern and southern ends of the Valley. The sites are all north facing for maximum sunshine and are generally clay based soils with broken sandstone, allowing for excellent water retention. This enables the vines to handle summer drought and consistently deliver concentrated yet elegant wines.
“A mild spring with high rainfall set the scene for the cool growing season. Summer began dry and remained below average temperature throughout – in the end the season brought everything together albeit much later than the previous year and gave us a wine that resulted in a really classic Yarra style of Bordeaux blends – restrained and fruit driven with fine tannins. We strive for drinkability through elegance, and the season came through to deliver exactly that.
“55% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec. Everything is hand picked and sorted by mechanical sorting line, then fermented at a relatively cool temperature to accentuate the aromatics and brightness. The wine spent 20 days on skins, before being moved to French oak barrels, of which 20% are new and then aged for 14 months prior to bottling.”
92 points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion “.. A light, bright crimson red. This is a Fontaine Cabernets for pinot lovers with its gentle scents of red fruits, a touch of violet and some cedar that leads onto the light- to medium-bodied and very supple palate. A delicious everyday drinking wine.”
90 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Medium-bodied, juicy and nutty, some tobacco, olive and orange peel bitterness, maybe even some musk stick, balanced acidity, a gentle chew to tannin, with a finish of solid length. Nice. Easy to enjoy.”
RRP $30 Our Special Price $23.99 when you buy 6 or more.
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