Fraser Gallop Estate's Cabernet Merlot is one of Margaret River's most consistent and honest expressions of the region's signature red blend. The 2024 vintage brings a Bordeaux-influenced blend of five varieties — led by Cabernet Sauvignon — grown on the estate's gravelly loam soils in the heart of Margaret River. Harvested across five days in February 2024 and bottled in June 2025 after up to 12 months in neutral French oak, it is a wine of genuine regional character: structured, fruit-driven and built to develop over time.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Ripe red plum, fresh cherry, cassis and mulberry, with dusty cocoa, dark chocolate, vanilla bean and a subtle hint of bay leaf.
Palate: Vibrant and generous, with cassis, brambly berries and juicy plum at the core. Fine chalky tannins provide freshness and drive, with a supple, approachable texture. Youthful and energetic now, with the capacity to soften and develop additional complexity with cellaring.
Finish: Clean and persistent, with fine-grained tannin structure and lingering red fruit. The chalky mineral quality carries through to a satisfying close. (WSD editorial synthesis from evidenced palate and structure.)
Blend & Winemaking
Blend: 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot.
Fruit was destemmed with minimal crushing to retain whole berries, followed by a short cold soak. Fermentation used gentle pump-overs and hand plunging, with extraction monitored by daily tasting. Malolactic fermentation was co-inoculated once fermentation was underway. The wine remained on skins for 10–15 days before draining and basket pressing. Individual varieties matured separately in older, neutral French oak barriques for up to 12 months, with one racking, before final blending. Bottled without fining and lightly filtered.
Harvest: 17–22 February 2024 | Bottled: 24 June 2025 | ABV: 13.5% | pH: 3.38 | TA: 6.8 g/L | RS: 0.73 g/L
About Fraser Gallop Estate
Fraser Gallop Estate is a family-owned property situated in Wilyabrup, at the heart of Margaret River's most celebrated sub-region. The estate is dedicated to producing wines of genuine regional character — Bordeaux varieties above all — from well-managed vineyards on characteristic gravelly loam soils. Winemaking emphasises restraint, precision and respect for the fruit, with a preference for neutral oak and minimal intervention to allow the vineyard to speak clearly in the glass.
