Woodlands 'Margaret' Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2014 (6L Wooden Box)

Proprietors David and Heather Watson set out from the start to craft wines in the spirit of the great Bordeaux estates. Established in 1973, Woodlands was one of the first five vineyards planted in Margaret River, and this wine is sourced entirely from the home vineyard.

The 2014 'Margaret' is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 8% Malbec, matured for 18 months in French oak (50% new). The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a slope on the south of the property that curves through a 90-degree arc from east to north, catching direct sun from morning through to mid-afternoon — conditions that build rich, full-bodied fruit. The Merlot and Malbec come from a separate west-facing slope of deep loam, which gets the strongest afternoon sun on the property and tends to produce more exotic, expressive fruit character.

The result is composed and measured — a genuinely outstanding blend, with fruit, finesse and structure all in balance. The colour is deep and essentially opaque, a black-edged dark red core with a red-black tinge. On the nose, black and red currant lead, intertwined with mulberry, and underneath, fine cedary oak, a touch of tobacco, dried herbs and spice. The palate carries that same rich fruit with real elegance and refined structure — blackcurrant, redcurrant and mulberry running the length of it, layered with cedary tobacco, dried herbs, a trace of black olive and spice, all held together by beautifully integrated, refined tannin. The aftertaste is long, echoing black and red currant, mulberry, cedary tobacco, dried herbs and spice well after the glass is finished.

Cellar for 8–10 years. 13.5% alc.

95+ points — Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
Deep purple-black in colour, with blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar, violet, clove and cinnamon stick, plus a touch of chocolate. Medium-bodied, taut and muscular, with commendably firm tannins and a long, baking-spice finish. A very classy Bordeaux blend. Drink 2017–2030.