Sussex Squire – Samuel Block Cabernet Sauvignon – 2021

Cabernet Sauvignon dry grown in a small 2.3 ac vineyard in the Armagh area of the Clare Valley. A interesting vineyard that produces lovely cabernet fruit with overt black fruit flavours of black currant and black cherry notes.  Hand-picked and then de-stemmed and pumped into 1.5 tonne open fermenters. Hand plunged daily and left on skins for 10 days and drained through the basket pressed to control tannin. Unfiltered

Aged in 40% new and 60% old French Oak barrels for 14 months.

Intense dark fruit flavours of blackberry, black cherry, cassis, spice and chocolate on the palate with a soft lingering tannin to finish.

2021 Samuel Block Cabernet Sauvignon  – only 120 doz produced (first vintage in 4 years)

Food Match: Slow cooked Lamb Shoulder

CELLARING: Drink Now or Cellar 5-10+yrs

pH – 3.44

TA – 7.02

Alc – 13.8%

* New Vintage 2021 Samuel Block Cabernet Sauvignon – Release June 2022  

This vineyard is dry grown and has suffered from the very dry conditions in 2018 and 2019 and  we only produced 1 ton of fruit in those years. Those small parcels of wine showed amazing t depth and intensity and were reserved for our JRS Barrel Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 & 2019 where they aged for 2 years in new French oak. In 2020 all the fruit was lost to frost in October 2019 and no wine was produced in that year. 2021 Vintage was excellent with over 2 ton picked and looks to be one of the stand out varieties of 2021 along with Malbec. The Cabernet shows beautiful fruit and elegance and I will be looking forward to getting this wine ready for release in June 2022.

HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

Samuel Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 – Hand-picked, destemmed, 12 days on skins, lightly basket-pressed, matured in French oak (20% new), 210 dozen made. Continues the style and quality of the ’17 Sussex Squire wines, cassis in abundance, rare in the Clare Valley and closer to cool-grown cabernet. A striking wine in the context of the Clare Valley.  Halliday – 94pts

Drink by 2032

Previous Vintages

2016 Samuel Block Cabernet Sauvignon – Double Trophy – Best Dry Red Wine – Clare Wine Show 2017 & Best Cabernet Sauvignon 2017