Fermoy Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 | Margaret River

Fermoy's Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship red of a producer with deep roots in one of Australia's most celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon subregions. The 2020 vintage was shaped by a classic warm, dry Margaret River growing season — moderated by afternoon sea breezes and cool nights — delivering fruit of excellent concentration, natural freshness and genuine structural integrity. Winemaker Jeremy Hodgson has crafted a wine of real presence: structured and age-worthy, yet accessible and compelling now.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Rich plum red with black tints — deep, youthful and vivid.

Nose: Expressive and layered — blackcurrant and bramble lead, with fresh mint, bay leaf and dark chocolate. Cedary spice from the French oak adds refinement without interrupting the fruit's natural clarity.

Palate: Medium-to-full bodied with excellent structure. Cassis, raspberry and fresh mint drive the fruit, with oak spice, bitter cocoa and dried herbs adding complexity. Refreshing acidity gives the wine shape and drive; fine, earthen tannins provide the structural framework for serious cellaring.

Finish: Long, structured and savoury — the tannins and acidity carry the fruit through a persistent, satisfying close.

Winemaking & Maturation

Fruit was sourced from Fermoy's Wilyabrup vineyards and a combination of hand- and machine-picked parcels were destemmed into open and static fermenters. Ferments were generally cold soaked before a controlled fermentation with gentle skin maceration — two to four weeks on skins depending on the parcel. Malolactic fermentation was completed before pressing. The wine then spent 18 months in French oak barriques — 33% new, the balance seasoned tight-grained French oak — without racking, receiving only monthly topping. A barrel-selected blend was assembled prior to light egg fining, long-term settling and filtration before bottling in June 2021.

The 2020 vintage in Margaret River delivered warm, dry growing conditions moderated by afternoon sea breezes and cool nights — a combination that produced fruit with natural concentration, bright acidity and the fine tannin structure that defines Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon at its best.