Hubert de Castella's passion for the Yarra Valley saw him establish St Huberts in 1862. By the late 1800s it had grown to be the largest estate in the area. The wines enjoyed immediate and on-going success at wine shows both domestically and abroad. The onset of the Great Depression, the increasing popularity of fortified wine and the emerging profitability of dairy farming saw the vineyard revert to grazing in the 1920s. It wasn't until the 1960s that the Yarra Valley again rose to prominence as a wine region and St Huberts was once again one of the pioneers.
For our Cabernet Merlot, fruit parcels are sourced primarily from vineyard sites on the warmer Yarra Valley flats, with a portion of the Merlot from the Upper Yarra. Individual vineyard batches are fermented in a range of vessels to create a variety of flavour and tannin profiles. These parcels are then pressed off separately and racked into French oak to develop further depth and complexity. Merlot acts like 'flesh on the bones', to round the palate of the wine, and add succulent berry fruit notes to the nose.
Varietal | Cabernet Merlot |
---|---|
Vintage | 2021 |
Country | Australia |
Region | Yarra Valley |
Volume | 750 mL |
Closure | Screw Cap |
Alc/Vol | 13% |
Peak Drinking | Now - 2026 |
Winemaker | Greg Jarratt |
Bronze | 2022 Yarra Valley Wine Show |
A vibrant fruit driven nose with a hint of leaf and cedary oak. Merlot plums, dark fruits and black olive are evident, and Cabernet provides the classic cassis and leafy background notes.
Cooler than Bordeaux yet warmer than Burgundy, picturesque Yarra Valley is one of Australia's foremost cool-climate wine regions. An easy one-hour’s drive from Melbourne, the area is home to more than 80 cellar doors. In addition to the huge range of wineries, the area boasts superb contemporary restaurants, authentic rustic farms - and luxury overnight accommodation if the sightseeing gets too much! The fertile Yarra Valley soils produce famously elegant and textured Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Settled weather during flowering resulted in good to very good yields. A cool start to summer, with very few days of extreme heat led to slow and steady ripening. Overall a truly lovely vintage.
Greg is a natural DIYer who relishes the challenge of making things. Whether it involves soldering jewellery, or making award-winning St Huberts Cabernet, Greg is very creative and hands on.
Following a Bachelor of Applied Science in Wine at Charles Sturt University and vintage work around Australia and in Bordeaux, Greg was appointed Assistant Winemaker and Cellar Hand at Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley in 1995. During his three-year tenure, Greg went back to Bordeaux in 1996 and then Languedoc-Roussillon working for La Perouse wines in 1997. In 1998, he moved to the Hunter Valley and made wines for Lindeman’s, Tulloch and Hungerford Hill. Nonetheless he had developed a taste for the Yarra Valley, so in 2001 Greg returned to Coldstream Hills and in 2006 was appointed Winemaker of St Huberts. Greg is a Len Evans Tutorial scholar, and has been an Associate Judge and Judge at wine shows including the Canberra National Wine Show and the Royal Sydney & Melbourne Wine Shows.