Product Description
The Yarra Yering Agincourt Cabernet Malbec 2022 is a beautifully crafted wine that effortlessly showcases the harmonious blend of two exceptional varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. With a perfume that immediately captivates, this wine opens with lifted aromas of violets, bramble, and berry fruits. The palate follows with refreshing fruit flavours, offering a delightful mix of mulberries and blueberries, accompanied by a cool leafy lift of nettle and the vibrant spice of clove. The Malbec component adds a crunch of acid, which balances the richness of the fruit, creating a wine of wonderful fruit purity. Subtle notes of mocha warmth and fresh leather further enhance its complexity, making it a wine of excellent structure and finesse.
The grapes for the Agincourt Cabernet Malbec were hand-harvested, with the Cabernet being destemmed, berry sorted, and crushed into half-tonne open fermenters. A small portion (5%) was whole-bunch fermented to add extra lift and perfume. The Malbec was destemmed into small fermenters and hand plunged twice daily. After fermentation, the wine was matured in French Bordeaux-shaped barrels, with 15% new oak, to enhance the juicy fruit palate and provide immediate enjoyment.
Cellaring - While crafted to be approachable when young, this wine will continue to evolve over the next 5+ years under suitable cellaring.
Maker:
In 1969, Dr Bailey Carrodus re-established winemaking in Yarra Valley in Victoria, picking up from where it left in mid-1800s to the 1920s. He completed degrees in horticulture and winemaking and studied in France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Dr Carrodus found a vineyard site in the Yarra Valley and produced wine in the style he loved. After his passing, the vineyard was sold to two businessmen who carried on his legacy and pathed the way to becoming one of the region’s oldest and most respected wineries. From 2013 the coveted role of winemaker and general manager went to Sarah Crowe who was named James Halliday's 2017 Winemaker of the Year. Sarah makes elegant, acclaimed wines, but humbly credits the vineyard as the true hero.
Vineyard:
At Yarra Yering, all fruit is hand-picked in the cool of the morning into 10kg picking buckets and delivered directly to the winery. The fruit is then sorted and either destemmed or crushed into traditional tea chest 0.5-tonne open-fermenters. Depending on the variety, stalks may be added back during the fermentation stage in baskets for easy removal when there is just enough stalk tannin present. The 70 acres of vines at Yarra Yering are grown without irrigation on a northerly slope at the foot of the Warramate hills. The vines benefit from good drainage, all-day exposure to the sun, and enough elevation from the valley floor to avoid spring frosts. This produces wines that are inherently balanced, precise, and elegant. The low yield of 1-2 tons per acre results in fruit with great intensity and concentration of flavour, as well as an abundance of natural acidity.
Perfume is the signature of this wine with lifted violets, bramble and berry fruits. Refreshing fruit flavours include mulberries and blueberries. Some nettle presents a cool leafy lift and clove spices dance with vibrant acidity and an elegant fruit drive. The Malbec component brings the acid crunch to the wine. A wine of wonderful fruit purity with some mocha warmth and fresh leather aromas.
Tasting Notes:
Nose
Aromatic and Inviting
Bright red fruit aromas of violets, bramble, and berry fruits, complemented by a fresh leafy lift of nettle and a hint of spice from clove.
Palate
Vibrant and Structured
Mulberries and blueberries create a vibrant fruit profile, while the Malbec adds a crunchy acidity. Subtle notes of mocha warmth and fresh leather develop on the palate, enhancing the wine’s complexity.
Finish
Long and Balanced
The finish is fresh, with a balance of fruit purity and complex savoury undertones, leaving a satisfying and clean aftertaste.
Reviews + Accolades:
Matured in French barriques (15% new). A medium deep, bright crimson. Fragrant with aromas of damson plums, blackcurrants, cedar and violets. Medium bodied, this elegantly wrought and persistent wine finishes with very fine-grained and suave tannins suggesting this will age gracefully over the next six to eight years. - Philip Rich Halliday, Wine Companion, 96 Points.
Dark berries, cassis, violets, a trace of ironstone. Palate is tight, firm, elegant, beautifully balanced and ready for ageing. Excellent wine. - Huon Hooke, The Real, review, 94 Points.
94 Points - Ryan Montgomery, JamesSuckling.com
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - 80% Cabernet, 20% Malbec
Country - Australia
Region - Yarra Valley, Victoria
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%