Wine Review: Cape Mentelle Marmaduke Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Having reviewed Cape Mentelle's Marmaduke Margaret River Chardonnay 2025 I thought it would be interesting to look at one of its red siblings the 2023 vintage of Marmaduke Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Similarly to the Chardonnay I find it a good value example of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. As with the Chardonnay I also take the opportunity to look at the particular Western Australian clones that shape the style of the wine. The Cape Mentelle winery was founded in 1970 by by brothers David, Mark, and Giles Hohnen. Planted on advice from renowned regional wine advocate Dr. John Gladstones, the estate was one of the "founding five" pioneering wineries of Western Australia's Margaret River region. Named after the nearby cape, the estate started with just 16 hectares of vineyards and grew into a world-class benchmark for Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate is also known for Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon blends and its old vine Zinfandel. Cape Mentelle’s original 16-hectare core planting is known as the Wallcliffe Vineyard as it is situated on Wallcliffe Road near the limestone cliffs overlooking the Margaret River. David Hohnen tested uncommon regional varieties like Zinfandel, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc by planting them here. In 1983 and 1984 their Cabernet Sauvignon Won Australia’s top wine prize—the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy—two years in a row for, putting Margaret River wines on the global map. In 1985 David Hohnen also founded Cloudy Bay in New Zealand's Marlborough Region. In 1990, Champagne house Veuve Clicquot bought a 50% stake in the two sister wineries, acquiring them outright in 2000. In 2002 Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey bought Veuve Clicquot and then in 2023 LVMH sold Cape Mentelle to the Australian owned Endeavour Wine Group. To find out more about this wine, its price and where to purchase it follow this link to the Wine-Searcher website: https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ca... ▶️ CHAPTERS: 0:07 Cape Mentelle Marmaduke Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 wine label 0:51 Location of Margaret River 1:11 Background to Cape Mentelle 1:25 The five founding wineries of the Margaret river region 1:35 Originally planted 16 hectares of vineyard 1:45 Known for producing benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Semillon 1:54 The founders were advised by Dr John Gladstones 2:16 Having holidayed in the region Gladstones saw the climate was ideal for grape growing 2:27 Cape Mentelle's original vineyard is the Wallcliffe Vineyard 2:52 Won the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 1983 and 1984 for their Cabernet Sauvignon 3:21 David Hohnen founds Cloudy Bay in Marlborough, New Zealand 3:35 1990 Veuve Clicquot buy a half share in the winery, buying it outright in 2000 3:50 2002 LVMH buy Veuve Clicquot 4:03 2023 LVMH sell Cape Mentelle to Endeavour Group 4:17 Endeavour rationalize their wine holdings in 2026 4:46 Marmaduke range launched in 2023 4:56 Previously sold a Grenache Shiraz Mataro blend under the Marmaduke brand 5:14 Varieties currently made under the Marmaduke range 5:24 Aimed at being premium Margaret River wines at a pricepoint 5:34 The Marmaduke name commemorates local surveyor and pioneer Marmaduke Terry 6:02 Terry owned the historic Wallcliffe House which was close to the estate's fist vineyard 6:12 In 1987 Mark Hohnen bought and restored Wallcliffe House 6:35 In 2011 Wallcliffe House was destroyed by a bushfire 6:48 Fruit for the wine is sourced from estate vineyards and trusted regional grower sites 7:11 Vineyard area 7:31 Clones used 7:50 Background to the Houghton Clones of Cabernet Sauvignon 8:51 Jack Mann, Houghton's Chief Winemaker 1930-1972 9:20 Houghton's Cabernet block was the best source of quality Cabernet Sauvignon in Western Australia in the late 1960s and early 70s 9:46 About clone SA126 10:20 2023 vintage in Margaret River 12:01 Likely mostly machine harvested in the cool of the early morning 12:21 WINEMAKING - bunches are destemmed and lightly crushed 12:31 During fermentation maceration was controlled by punch-downs and pump-overs 12:45 Pressing in basket presses save soft, supple tannins 12:55 Transferred to old oak vats for malolactic conversion 13:02 The wine seem likely to have matured for 14 months in seasoned oak 13:37 TASTING - Appearance 14:24 Aromas 16:09 Palate 16:36 Ageing potential 17:15 Conclusions 17:38 Score 18:11 Thanks, closing remarks and sign-off ▶️ To watch my video tasting of Cape Mentelle Marmaduke Margaret River Chardonnay 2025, simply follow this link:    • Wine Review: Cape Mentelle Marmaduke Marga...   #winetasting #winelover #winelovers #dcamw #masterofwine #margaretriver #westernaustralia #capementelle #capementellemarmaduke #marmadukecabernetsauvignon #redwine #tastingredwine #tastingaustralianwine #tastingwesternaustralianwine #tastingmargaretriverwines #cabernetsauvignon