The Agonist Cabernet Merlot

Full and soft with black and blue fruit. Spices of pepper and cinnamon finishing with round fine tannins.

Blackberry, mulberry, plum, and raspberry with vegetal notes of thyme, capsicum, and mint followed by charred oak notes of coconut and mocha.

Kung pao chickpeas or Smokey, sweet, sticky barbeque short ribs

Situated in the Willunga foothills, the soil is rich deep gravelly loam over clay with patches of limestone. Cabernet was picked on March 3rd and the merlot closely followed on March 20th.

The grapes were crushed, de-stemmed and cooled to 8ºC where they had a cold soak for approximately 2 days. The must was slightly warmed and fermentation commenced and lasted 9 days. The wine was then left on skins for 4 days where malolactic fermentation concluded. The wine was then pressed into 100% new French oak puncheons where it stayed for 12 months prior to botting in March 2018.

A late start to picking and a cool growing season saw the end of vintage in May, one of the latest vintages we have ever had at Temple Bruer. A wet winter in 2016 provided our vineyards with a good lead up to the growing season. We then saw a cool and wet spring which delayed flowering, followed by a mild summer with rain events. Good health and balance in our vineyards ensured minimal disease pressure and great quality from our 2017 vintage.