Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

All Heartland wines are made by Ben Glaetzer with fruit from our mature vineyards at Langhorne Creek (one of Australia's oldest wine regions) and Limestone Coast in South Australia.

Region: Langhorne Creek 92%, Limestone Coast 8%

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon 100%

Tasting notes:

The 2008 release is a deep, vibrant ruby in colour. Intensely fragrant, with a lifted nose of concentrated plums, cassis and spicy oak characters. The palate displays rich plummy, blackcurrant jam notes with a hint of cardamom spice.

The 2008 has firmer tannins than the 07 vintage, and is a rich, textural wine. The fine acidity and firm tannins will see the wine age gracefully for up to 5 years.

2008 Vintage:

2008 was a vintage of extremes but resulted in some excellent parcels of fruit. It was an early, compressed harvest period for both Langhorne Creek & Limestone Coast.

The first half of the vintage was mild and dry throughout February, but as March approached, most South Australian regions were defined by a record-breaking heatwave, with approximately the last 20-30% of the vintage severely heat affected. The red varieties required special attention to avoid overstress during the final stages of ripening. Luckily, we managed to pick a good portion of the crops in both regions before the heat could take its toll.

Vinification:

The fruit was crushed into 10 tonne open fermenters, left on skins to cold macerate for three days prior to yeast inoculation. Maximum ferment temperature of 26 degrees C (with a Rhone isolate yeast) ensured enough tannin extraction while maintaining freshness of aromatics. The wine was pressed to oak for malolactic fermentation, then racked and returned to French and American oak for a 12-month maturation.

Oak type: 80% French, 20% American

Age of barrels: 2-4 years

Time in barrel: 12 months

Age of vines: 12-15 years

Vineyard yield: 4-5 tonnes/ha (1.7-2 tons/acre)

Alc/Vol: 14.5%

Total Acidity: 6.6 g/l

pH: 3.4

Residual sugar: 0.5 g/l

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