Blind Corner Wilyabrup Bernard 2019

Biodynamic. Employing elements of ripasso and appassimento—inspired by the wines of Valpolicella—this is a fascinating Cabernet, totally different to anything we know of on the market. It comes from a blend of 20-plus-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines in both the Quindalup and Wilyabrup sub regions of the Margaret River.

The fruit was foot-crushed and fermented wild before maturation in used oak. In ripasso style, these ferments included some of the Cabernet skins from Blind Corner’s Amarone-styled Bernard cuvée (Wilyabrup) from the same year. These latter grapes (10% of the blend) were first air-dried before fermentation (appassimento)—a process intended to simultaneously soften and lengthen the wine’s tannic frame while adding layers of flavour complexity. Then, there’s a glug of Merlot judiciously blended in. Finally, the wine was raised in old wood and bottled without filtration.