$200.00
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It’s no Secret that for me the absolute pinnacle of deliciousness is Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet from the Barossa is unique and distinctive and for me one of the best expressions of this variety. The reason I like the Barossa for Cabernet Sauvignon so much is that the flavour spectrum encompasses all the usual varietal characteristics but then keeps on going to include black currants, spice and mocha chocolate.
420 kg Picked March 18th 2013
House on the Hill ‘225’ Block
Crafted in isolation and filled to a brand new Andrew Stiller Cooperage Immersion Bent American oak Barrique (225 Liters)
Matured in wood for 5 years before bottling.
Released at 11 years of age it’s a powerful example of what Barossa Cabernet given full throat can really do.
Total production 192 Bottles.
Deep berry red. Hints of brick on the meniscus reflecting years of age.
Intense Cabernet Varietals with lifted blackberry over chocolate. New American oak vanilla complexity fills out the deep red black fruit Power and Complexity underlines the aromas.
Incredibly tight and youthful Purple berry fruit up front. Middle palate is assaulted with a riot of wild berry and punchy but balanced American oak. Incredible length and density filled with smoky yeast complexity finishes with an ‘everlasting’ powerful Cabernet fruit sweetness.
Few things can match the poise of full flight Barossa Cabernet... Especially when (like in the 2013 vintage) it is oh so right!
The 225 is my ultimate expression of this variety. Through Fate, providence or whatever you want to call it, when Dad originally purchased the House on the Hill Block I live on, 4 small rows of Cabernet, (planted around the same time I made my appearance in the world) were sitting there just waiting to be discovered. In 1998 we picked 300 odd kilos of black gems off these rows for the first time and the Cabernet that was created still leaves me breathless twenty odd years later. I knew back then that what I had a chance to create was something extraordinary. In 2001 I made the very first official 225 Cabernet. The formula is simple. These 4 rows have the ability to effortlessly attain a level of ripeness that still blows my mind yet retain an integrity that is enviable anywhere. The Cabernet is carefully hand picked and destemmed into ‘little silver’ the 450 litre stainless fermenter which started it’s life as a part of a still but now seems purpose built as a vehicle to take the 225 through it’s ferment. After a 64 day ferment and maceration, the 225 is basket pressed to a new American Oak barrique that has been seasoned for at least 4 years. The 225 spends the next 5 years in this new oak taking on an intensity of oak character and tannin that only barely matched the richness and intensity of the fruit itself. The 225 is then bottled (unfiltered) and tucked down the back of the cellar for six more years before emerging for release as an incredibly youthful 11 year old powerhouse.
Only 192 bottles (16 dozen bottles) of this wine ever make it to release (by the time evaporation and quality control sampling take their toll) so each bottle is individually hand numbered and addressed to the new custodian by me when it leaves david Franz. The 225 is one of the most exclusive wines in both quality and quantity made in the market today. The label reflects what I feel about the 225, and that is: “It’s all about the WINE!”
