Lake Breeze Bullant Cabernet Merlot, Langhorne Creek

Tasting Note

An amazing lifted bouquet of blackberries is complemented by a touch of mocha. Rich and smooth on the palate it offers a lovely soft finish with polished tannins. 

Producer Note

Lake Breeze is located in Langhorne Creek, South Australia, where the Follett family has been farming grapes since the 1880s. The estate is situated on the banks of Lake Alexandrina and the vineyard benefits from the 'lake breeze'. Winemaker Greg Follett was brought up on the farm but left to study winemaking at Roseworthy before heading to make wine in California and France. He returned to his roots and in 1987 started making wine exclusively from the best 30 per cent of his old vine fruit. He rapidly built an enviable reputation for consistently producing outstanding wines and Lake Breeze is now one of the most awarded boutique wineries in Australia.

Vineyard

The vineyard is situated in Langhorne Creek, South Australia. The vines have an average age of 40 years and are grown on their own roots. The soils are generally alluvial sandy loam with some over a clay base. This dry region, situated at the bottom of the Murray River, is irrigated by a weir floodgate system. The vineyard is surrounded by striking, historically important gum trees that still bear the holes that were once dug out by the Aboriginal Australians, to carve into canoes. 

Winemaking

Fruit selection was paramount for this wine. The grapes were fermented on their skins in small, open, static tanks; which lasted between seven to 12 days. The young wine was then pressed straight to oak barriques to complete the fermentation. The wine was then matured for 10 to 12 months in seasoned French and American oak, with 5 to 10% new oak used in the blending.

Serving Suggestion

Great with a gourmet cheeseburger or a classic with roast lamb.

Grape

Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Merlot 20%