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Discover our Cabernet Sauvignon
Crafted in small batches with 100% cabernet sauvignon fruit from our single, old-vine block, this wine is a pure Margaret River cabernet sauvignon: rare for its purity of fruit, perfumed and supremely elegant.
Shop our 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $49 per bottle (750ml)
Vintage Notes
Warmer than average Spring temperatures got the season off to an early start. The sustained warm, dry, sunny weather through January and February allowed the fruit to ripen steadily with no risk of disease. A cooler front brought rainfall at the end of February and slowed things down, providing excellent ripening and softening of tannins with great flavour development. The perfect ripening conditions resulted in a 2020 vintage of outstanding fruit quality with great concentration and mouth-watering levels of natural acidity.
Winemaking Notes
Fruit from a single block on the estate was harvested and berries crushed (just split). After a cool 14-day ferment on skins with multiple, yet gentle daily pump overs, the wine was gently separated from the skins and transferred straight to French Oak barriques, 35% of which were new. The wine was matured for 10 months in oak, before being lightly fined, filtered and bottled.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Dark red in colour with crimson hints.
Bouquet: Violets, cassis, mulberries and graphite, with hints of cedar and mocha.
Palate: Coating textures of black berries and red currants are accentuated by flecks of dried herbs and cherry blossom. The palate is guided by an unctuous array of bristling black fruit tannins, mineral and quenching, sumptuous and bold. A pristine finish of black mulberries and the slightest hint of meat spice. .
Food Pairing Suggestions
-Chargrilled ribeye steak
-Roasted Margaret River venison
-Mushroom risotto
Cellaring & Serving Suggestions
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon has been matured in bottle for several years before release, ensuring that it is perfectly integrated and drinking beautifully now, yet it will continue to evolve and reward with further cellaring.
-Serving temperature: 16–18°C
-You may wish to decant for half an hour before serving.
-Cellaring potential: 10-15 years for further development of savoury depth and complexity.
Awards & Reviews
The Passel Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has consistently enchanted wine critics, earning gold and silver medals with each vintage released.
Gold medal, International Wine & Spirits Competition 2025
Silver medal, International Wine Challenge 2026
Silver medal, Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2022
94 Points, Ray Jordan, WA Wine Review 2027: “I had to do a double take to check the vintage when I saw this wine. So it’s now six years old and it’s really benefited from that extra time in bottle. This was in the COVID year, which you might remember was quite warm and very early, but produced wines of intensity and power. The extra time in bottle has refined this wine. And it’s now displaying some quite beautiful varietal characters with just a little maturity showing through. Chocolatey dark fruits on the nose with a leafy cedary like character. Palate, which has that seamless, integrated Passel Estate DNA that has become such a part of the wines from this excellent little estate. A most complete and composed cabernet.”
Why Choose Passel Estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon?
Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River has become one of the region’s most celebrated varietals, recognised globally for its elegance, structure, and longevity. Margaret River’s maritime climate, with warm days, cool nights, and a long ripening season, allows the fruit to develop intensity of flavour while maintaining fresh acidity and fine tannins. Gravelly loam soils add further complexity and minerality, hallmarks of premium Cabernet Sauvignon from this special part of Western Australia.
Compared to warmer wine regions of Australia, Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon is distinguished by its finesse, showcasing vibrant cassis, red and blue fruits, and subtle herb and spice notes, framed by velvety tannins and remarkable balance. These qualities make it not only one of the most sought-after Australian Cabernet Sauvignon styles, but also one of the most collectible.
Ours is a pure expression of this varietal that demonstrates why Margaret River Cabernet continues to be a benchmark worldwide.