Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon 'Ruby Jane' 2019

Founders David Watson and wife Heather had spectacular success with the cabernets he made in ’79 and the early ’80s. Commuting from Perth while raising a family became too much and for some years the grapes from Woodlands were sold to other Margaret River producers. With the advent of sons Stuart and Andrew in ’02–05 (Stuart primarily responsible for winemaking), the estate bounced back to pre-eminence, expanding with the purchase of the 17ha Woodlands Brook Vineyard in ’07. The top-end wines primarily come from the original Woodlands Vineyard, where the now-certified organic vines are 50+yr.

The 2019 vintage is named after Ruby Jane — daughter of Elizabeth and Ben, granddaughter of Heather and David. Ruby's growing into a kind, outgoing, happy kid who loves princesses, reading, and playing with her little sister Ellie.

This Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the original plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc on the vineyard's south-facing slope — sandy loam over gravel and clay. These four small, old plots see more sunlight than anywhere else on the property, but the east-west row orientation keeps ripening slow and steady.

2019 was about as classic a Margaret River vintage as you get — no extremes of heat or rain, sitting close to the region's average conditions through the '80s and '90s. Mild, even conditions like these are exactly what you want for flavour development and holding onto acidity, and they gave more flexibility around picking dates to nail ripeness. It shows: the 2019s have real brightness, delicacy and balance, and this Cabernet is the standout example.

Hand-picked between 18 March and 17 April, the fruit was destemmed, hand-sorted, crushed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks — 70% of it with wild, native-yeast fermentation. After fermentation, the wine sat on skins for around 21 days before pressing into new French barriques. It was bottled unfiltered on 28 January 2021. The final blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc.

Deep crimson, dense ruby in colour. The nose is gorgeous — violet leaps out first, then star anise, dark cherry and blackberry, with sandalwood and dried herbs underneath. Earthy and complex; this is a wine that smells of its soil. The palate is elegant and refined — soft, juicy red fruit and dark cherries up front, moving into liquorice, dried tea leaf and clove, and finishing back on violet. Beautifully balanced throughout.

The 2019 is more approachable with the sweet spot between 2028 and 2035.