Producer
When David and Heather Watson first established Woodlands in 1973, they were amongst the first six pioneers to plant vineyards in Margaret River and can certainly claim to have helped establish the region’s reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon. With the addition of a second vineyard site, purchased in 1998, the Watson family now have 25 hectares of vineyard in the Wilyabrup valley, which is maintained by hand using traditional and organic methods and without irrigation – a rarity in this arid corner of Australia. A true family affair, son Stuart is the winemaker and Andrew is in charge of operations. Five red stars from Halliday and an ‘Outstanding’ rating for the Cabernet Sauvignon from Langton’s identify Woodlands as one of the very best producers in the region.
Vineyard
The grapes are sourced from vineyard plots, planted on sandy loam over clay soils and were harvested between the 6th of March and the 12th of April.
Winery
The bunches were gently destemmed, using a state of the art vibrating destemmer. Following a ten day maceration period, fermentation was carried out in stainless steel tanks. A small proportion underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel, with the rest in tank. The wine was then matured in old French oak barrels for fourteen months.
