Nocturne SV Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

The 2023 vintage; it is a thing…… as is this wine. In seasons when you can wait, and pause, and asses the grapes for perfect tannin ripeness is when you know you have something special going on. Not too hot, not too cold, it was the ‘Goldilocks’ season where everything was just right. In this instance from what I see as the best part of the Sheoak vineyard slope, we have made an effortless wine with the finest of tannin structures.

We commenced picking Sheoak Cabernet on the 6th of April, relatively early given the even nature of the vintage. Darkly coloured though wonderfully fine and ethereal from the outset. Instantly perfumed and richly coloured, the wine spent 14 days on skins with a peak fermentation temperature of around 26 degrees C. The wine was pressed to tank and settled briefly, before being transferred to a combination of new (25%) and two & three-year-old barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine was racked only once in this time and, after 16 months in oak, was emptied from barrel. Only the best barrels were selected for this final blend. The wines was then settled, clarified and bottled.

The Sheoak vineyard makes expressive, medium-bodied, silky structured wines. This for me is the perfect incarnation: Dark fruit flavours and high notes of cassis and warm spice frame this fine and completely poised vintage of the Nocturne SV. While it’s amazingly accessible on release, this wine would love 5 to 8 years further maturation, which will really make this amazing wine shine. – Julian Langworthy