Cabernet, Merlot Great Southern 2018 – Three Lions

The grapes to produce the Cabernet, Merlot Great Southern Three Lions were destemmed and crushed into closed fermenters and inoculated immediately. Ferments were pumped over twice daily with most parcels being pressed off at the completion of ferment and a small fraction undergoing extended maceration. Maturation took place in predominantly French oak for 14 months. The blended wine was then lightly fined before bottling.  Plantagenet’s total 126 hectares of vineyard have been carved out of the region’s distinctive Marri soils, named after the massive native Marri, or Red Gum, trees that grow there. The soils are gravelly loams with good drainage over a base of clay, sand or ironstone rock, ensuring that the vines are not over-watered or over-fertilised, thus allowing for optimal fruit concentration. All vineyard operations are completed with an active focus on sustainability in order to maximise biodiversity. The Three Lions wines are from Plantagenet. The name Plantagenet was given to the shire in Western Australia by early English settlers and was adopted by the winery when it was established in 1974. The arms of the Gules family, who later became the Plantagenet dynasty, were three lions passant guardant, termed colloquially “the arms of England”. They were first adopted by King Richard the Lionheart (reigned 1189–1199), son of King Henry II of England (reigned 1154–1189), and grandson of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.