Pierro Fire Gully Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2020
Purchased by Mike Peterkin in 1988, the Fire Gully vineyard, which sits directly behind Moss Wood, produces this beautifully fresh and juicy Cabernet, made by the Pierro team at the Pierro winery. Every wine tells a story and this is the story of Cabernet Sauvignon, the flagship red grape variety of Margaret River. The original Cabernet vines were introduced to Western Australia between 1836 and 1895, most likely from South Africa. In the 1930s the legendary Houghton winemaker Jack Mann took cuttings from selected old bush vines in the Swan Valley and established a 1.6 hectare planting known as the "Houghton Cabernet Block". He was firmly of the view that grapes from this block could be used to make outstanding wine. In the 1960's the Department of Agriculture, through several years of evaluation, refined this block and selected the best quality vines, 21 in all from a planting of 2,200. These vines were planted in "foundation blocks" at Gin Gin in 1970 and at Frankland River in 1973. Over the next 40 years these vines were further evaluated and, in 2012, six "super" selections were released. The team at Pierro have chosen what they consider the best three to form the basis of this wine. Hand picked, bunch and berry selected prior to fermentation as whole berries in open-top fermenters. Hand plunged with 39 days on skins prior to pressing and maturing in oak barrique for 18 months. A leafy, delicate Cabernet Sauvignon, with very finely milled tannins and layers of red and purple fruit in the mouth. A cool mineral profile, and a gentle chalkiness on the middle palate highlight the fruit. Hints of coffee bean, mint and bay leaf add complex layers to this understated wine, which finishes with salinity and great elegance.
