Halo Range 'The First Cab' 2021
WILD RASPBERRY • SALINE MINERALITY • VELVETY TANNINS
Original owner Duke Ranson's favourite varietal because Cabernet was the first wine he tasted as a youth that turned him into a wine lover - hence the name of this wine. Savoury and earthy, powered by red berry fruit and finely integrated tannins, this premium Cabernet Sauvignon is a tightly wound gem from our tiny Houghton clonal planting. Lots of ageing potential. Very limited supply. 750ml.
Accolades
95 points, The Real Review
Deep and bright purple-red colour; a serious bouquet of cedar/cigarbox and cassis, beautifully ripe fruit and understated use of oak. The tannins are fine and persistent, the palate long. The depth of flavour is impressive, the structure serious and Bordeaux-like. No leafiness at all. This is classy cabernet.
95 points, Wine Pilot
Cabernet was the variety that turned a young Duke Ranson into a wine lover and therefore this name was chosen for the estate’s top Cabernet. This is a very powerful wine with a decent hit of tannins, although they are well proportioned and balanced. It is deep and dark with immensely robust fruit but still with a degree of fleshy red berry. Right now, it is still tightly coiled but with time it will certainly spring into action to show its best. It’s a very small production wine made from a miniscule planting of Houghton clone Cabernet.
91 points, Halliday Wine Companion
A juicy and bright style with vibrant blueberry, cassis and dark cherry fruit characters woven through bay leaf, sea spray and fennel. There's lots of appealing perfume, high drinkability, and an almost, but not quite, nouveau. A sheath of lacy tannin tightens things nicely. Charming, relatively simple and fruit-forward wine here.
Appearance: dark deep crimson, magenta edges
Aroma: dark blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry, blood orange rind, dark earthy baking spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, hints crystalised ginger, cedar bark smoke
Palate: dark blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry, blood orange rind, dark earthy baking spices of cinnamon juicy red and black currants, cassis, blueberry, brooding elements of dark forest berries, hints of wild bramble and forest floor; tannins are powerful yet finely structured and tight knit, complete structure with tannins that fan out on the back palate ; dark chocolate, shitake mushroom, hints of spearmint, black cherry skin, persistent with brightness and poise
Drawn from a unique tiny planting of Houghton clone Cabernet, planted in 1999, this ripens slowly giving dense yet silky tannins. Deep winter rains were welcome relief after two drought seasons giving way to an earlier bud burst with a slow steady growth of canopy producing a wall of leaves to ripen a balanced crop. Rains in mid February and early March necessitated canopy work to give good airflow and light penetration easing disease risk. Warm conditions with warm breezes concentrated the red fruit giving full physiological ripeness of tannin and colour but still with the trademark thread of minerality that gives longevity and freshness to all the wines from the estate.
Selectively harvested in early morning in mid April, the fruit was cool when it arrived at the winery. It was destemmed into open top fermenters and allowed to cold soak naturally before the ferment was allowed to proceed, followed by gentle hand-plunging daily from 1-3 times. Some post-ferment maceration ensued for complexity and structure to give 18 days on skins; followed by gentle pressing, creating a powerful yet silky wine. Aged in 100% one and two year old French oak 300L hogsheads for 14 months on fine lees. Blended with no fining and minimal filtration it was bottled in August 2022. Released March 2023.
- Vintage 2021
- Alcohol 14.1%
- Vineyard 100% Estate Grown
- Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
- Bottling date August 2022
- Region Great Southern, Western Australia
- Sub-region Porongurup
- Residual sugar <2 g/l
- pH 3.6
- Acidity 5.9 g/l