St Huberts Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Huon Hooke Wine of the Week Oct 6, 2014
Jeremy Oliver Drop of the Month

St Hubert's has a long history of producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and contains some of the oldest Cabernet vines in the Yarra Valley, with plantings dating back to 1966. The 2012 vintage marks the 150th anniversary of the winery and the Cabernet Sauvignon is an absolute treat, a stylish cabernet of exemplary balance and focus that will be gorgeous at maturity.

"A superb wine and excellent value for money in 2012. This is a traditional Yarra cabernet sauvignon with moderate alcohol and correct but not overdone ripeness. The bouquet suggests violets, with nicely harmonised fruit and oak. It’s tight and powerful, precise and firmly concentrated on the palate; a beautiful cabernet that needs time and is full of potential."  Huon Hooke 

Expert reviews

"Strong purple-crimson, bright and clear; a prime example of the synergy between cabernet sauvignon and the Yarra Valley, and made without compromise, spending 15 months in French barriques, mainly used. It has powerful black fruits, and equally powerful - but balanced - tannins, and a touch of bay leaf. Needs a minimum of 5+ years in bottle to start the long journey ahead. Drink by: 2035."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points

"A polished, stylish cabernet of exemplary balance and focus. Its sweet, smoky fragrance of cassis, dark plums, dark cherries and fresh cedary oak reveal nuances of mint and dried herbs, with an underlay of gravel and violet. Fullish to medium in weight, it's long and elegant, with pristine small dark fruit and newish, accentuated oak finely meshed over a finely textured spine, finishing with superb length, persistence and acid balance. The finest wine under this label for many a year, perhaps a century or more!"  Jeremy Oliver - 95 points and Drop of the Month

"Both St Huberts reds, the cheaper cabernet merlot and this one, are superb wines and excellent value for money in 2012. This is a traditional Yarra cabernet sauvignon with moderate alcohol and correct but not overdone ripeness. The bouquet suggests violets, with nicely harmonised fruit and oak. It’s tight and powerful, precise and firmly concentrated on the palate; a beautiful cabernet that needs time and is full of potential. Drink 2017-2039."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review – 94 points and Wine of the Week

"An old favourite combination. Yarra Valley cabernet sauvignon. St Huberts. All French oak. 2012 vintage marks the 150th anniversary of the St Huberts brand. Claret style and a very good version thereof. Long termer. Finely tannic, curranty wine with dried herb and mint notes. Hint of game. Veneer of cedar/smoky oak. Gorgeous tannin. Medium weight in the most positive of ways. Will be gorgeous at maturity."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 94 points

Awards

Jeremy Oliver Drop of the Month
Huon Hooke Wine of the Week Oct 6, 2014

About the winemaker

Following a Bachelor of Applied Science in Wine at Charles Sturt University and vintage work around Australia and in Bordeaux, Greg Jarratt was appointed Assistant Winemaker and Cellar Hand at Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley in 1995 with the esteemed James Halliday as a mentor. During his three-year tenure, Greg went back to Bordeaux in 1996 and then Languedoc-Roussillon working for La Perouse wines in 1997. In 1998, he moved to the Hunter Valley and made wines for Lindeman’s, Tulloch and Hungerford Hill.

Nonetheless, he had developed a taste for the Yarra Valley, so in 2001 Greg returned to Coldstream Hills and in 2006 was appointed Winemaker of St Huberts. Greg is a Len Evans Tutorial scholar, and has been an Associate Judge and Judge at wine shows including the Canberra National Wine Show, the Royal Sydney and the Royal Melbourne Wine Shows.  

About the Winery

St Huberts is located only 45 kilometres east of Melbourne’s CBD in the Yarra Valley, one of Australia’s foremost cool climate wine producing regions. The vineyard and winery is located on the valley floor at the gateway of this beautiful region. At an elevation of 50 to 80 metres, the St Hubert's vineyard sits on a gently sloping site facing north-west, maximising sun exposure and resulting in generous, fuller bodied cool climate wines. Rainfall is slightly winter dominant and around 750 millimetres per annum. The soil is well drained grey clay loam over a clay layer of 500 to 600 millimetres in depth.

St Hubert's was originally founded in 1862 by winemaking pioneer and Swiss immigrant Charles Hubert de Castella, who helped position the region as a premium wine producing area. De Castella named St Hubert's not after himself, but after St Hubert the patron saint of the hunt – a 7th century nobleman who turned his life around after an encounter with a magnificent stag carrying a shining cross between his antlers. In tribute to his patron saint, de Castella decided that the wines of St Hubert's would bear the emblem of the stag with the cross between its antlers, a tradition that continues to this day via the St Hubert's logo.

By 1876 the St Hubert's vineyard was over 80 hectares including 28 hectares of Hermitage (Shiraz), eight hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon and four hectares of Marsanne. By the late 1800s it had grown to be the largest estate in the area. The wines enjoyed immediate and ongoing success at wine shows both domestically and abroad; winning the Emperor of Germany’s Grand Prize at the 1881 Melbourne International Exhibition and a Grand Prix award at the 1889 Paris Exposition – both phenomenal achievements for Australian wine.

The onset of the Great Depression, the increasing popularity of fortified wine and the emerging profitability of dairy farming saw the vineyard revert to grazing in the 1920s, along with all the other vineyards in the Yarra Valley. St Hubert’s was one of the first to replant in 1966, championing the rejuvenation of the Valley as one of Australia’s great cool climate regions. The 1966 vines, the oldest on the property, today yield low crops with intense fruit flavour, depth and concentration.

The St Hubert's legacy continues to this day in the hands of experienced winemaker Greg Jarratt. Greg has led St Hubert's since 2006, working with the vineyard and winery team to honour the high standards set at St Hubert's since its inception over 150 years ago. St Hubert's has a long history of producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and today continues to be lauded for its portfolio of cool climate wines which also include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Roussanne. In 2016, they released a single vineyard Blanc de Noir sparkling wine.