Rouge Homme Cabernet Merlot 2012 CONFIRM 2012 VINTAGE

Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Coonawarra Limestone South Australia
William Redman came to Coonawarra as a fourteen year old boy, during the year of Australia's federation in 1901. He worked at the historical John Riddoch wineworks, learning his trade under tutelage of the great Ewen McBain, Coonawarra's first ever qualified winemaker. Redman continued to acquire land and plant vines, eventually becoming one of the region's most prominent landholders and founding the Rouge Homme label in 1950. The house style remains one of the most enduring legacies, from the establishment of Coonawarra to the present day.
Cabernet and Merlot grapes are harvested from some of the finest vineyards on the Limestone Coast and Coonawarra. Following the crush, fruit is vinified in a combination of new and traditional fermentation vessels while being treated to a course of plunge and pumpovers for the gentle extraction of tannins and colour. The fermenting must is cooled to ensure temperatures do not rise above desired levels. Wines are fermented to dryness on skins over a period of several days, run off and pressed before being added back to the free run. The batches are then filtered and transferred to a selection of new and seasoned French and American oak barrels for the completion of malolactic and a term of maturation.
Deep garnet red colour with a dark core. A rich and complex wine featuring attractive, sweet blackberry and ripe fruit aromas. Vibrant blackberry and plum flavours are supported by spicy oak and fine, firm tannins. Fully approachable immediately upon release, allow Rouge Homme some time to breathe before serving alongside lamb, veal or beef.
Rouge Homme
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Rouge Homme
Right at the heart of Coonawarra are the Rouge Homme Vineyards, established in 1908 when the Redman family purchased part of John Riddoch's Penola Fruit Colony

For half a century, the Rouge Homme winemakers supplied wine to other companies and merchants. With the inaugural release of the 1954 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rouge Homme as a winery itself began to attract some of the fame. Rouge Homme, French for Red Man, signified the similarity of the wines to the red wines of Bordeaux. The Rouge Homme Richardson's label was introduced with the 1992 vintage and named in honour of Henry Richardson. In 1892 Henry Richardson, one of the earliest Coonawarra pioneers, purchased land from the region's founder John Riddoch, and established a vineyard winery on the property.

Rouge Homme

In 1965 the Redman family sold the vineyards and winery, which, with the original Richardson property, became Rouge Homme as it is today. Occupying about 60 hectares, the vineyards are planted with classic varieties including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, with a small amount of Chardonnay. The Rouge Homme Winery is now one of the most modern and sophisticated in the Coonawarra.

Situated in the southeast of South Australia some 50kms north of Mount Gambier, the Coonawarra grapegrowing district is a unique isolated strip of rich terra rossa soil over porous limestone. Running in a north-south direction just over 14kms long and around 2kms wide, it is an island of red soil bordered by black soil, grazing country and sandy loams. A climate of cold, wet winters and mild to warm, dry summers allows slow ripening of the grapes, with excellent development of sugar levels and flavour, and the retention of good acidity. Because of the cold winters and springs, the vines at Rouge Homme are trained over especially high trellises, with overhead mist sprinklers to protect them from frosts during spring.

As custodians of the Rouge Homme's great Coonawarra traditions, the winemaking team continues to produce a range of distinctive, approachable wines which have the potential to develop great complexity with bottle ageing over many years. With a considerable reputation as classic Coonawarra, Rouge Homme wines are frequent gold medal winners - particularly the reds. In 1994, Rouge Homme received what is regarded by many to be the wine industry's greatest accolade - the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy which was awarded to 1993 Rouge Homme Richardsons Red Block.

Rouge Homme

Rouge Homme