The Cannonball is our take on the Bordeaux blend involving Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. We source from the warmer northern end of the Margaret River region which provides Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot of great richness with deep fine - grained tannins.

The Petit Verdot is from Wilyabrup a little to the south. The site that provides our Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot has a well drained northern aspect, beautiful lateritic gravel soils with underlying granite and cooling sea breezes during the afternoon through the ripening period.

There are 2 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon which ripen slightly differently, with the Merlot on the boniest of the soil. A great recipe for ripening tannins and fruit intensity. The Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are grown in one the older sites in the Margaret River providing a low yield of intensely aromatic fruit with great colour and fine tannins.

The 2019 ripening season was cooler than average but low crop levels allowed us to pick at relatively normal times in April. Destemmed into separate open top fermenters all parcels were wild fermented seperately, hand plunged and gently pressed to oak for (wild) malolactic fermentation. The Cabernet Sauvignon spent an extra 25 days on skins post fermentation. Maturation was in a mix of old and new (41%) French oak puncheons and barriques for 15
months.

The 2019 Cannonball is the first with a rousing element of Cabernet Franc to complement the Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Nearly 4 years old the 2019 Cannonball has bright cassis, blackberry, bay, olive and mulberry with complexing cigar box notes. The medium bodied, integrated and seamless palate is driven by black and red fruits, olive and herbal savoury notes held together by a sinewy thread of fine tannin.