Arlewood Estate is located at Forest Grove in the Karridale subregion of Margaret River. It was originally planted in 1999 but didn’t find its way into the hands of Gary Gossati and family until 2009 when they purchased it as a run-down vineyard.
They have dedicated themselves to restoring their six hectares to produce high-quality, intense fruit from well-cared for vines and they have done this very successfully.
Gary follows a long family tradition, with his great grandfather having run a wine co-operative in Valtellina, a region in Lombardi, on the Swiss border in Northern Italy. He has recently planted some Nebbiolo, the premium red grape of Northern Italy, at Arlewood. Their flagship wines are the La Bratta Rosso (red) and Bianco (white), La Bratta being his mother’s village. They are produced in the best vintages, from their best fruit.
Wines from this southerly Margaret River subregion experience the cooling ocean winds resulting in higher acidity and often leaner, more delicate styles and the two red wines reviewed reflect this.
Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine in 2020 awarded Arlewood the Best Small Cellar Door in Australia. Their La Bratta Wine and Chocolate Experience is a unique matching and not to be missed.
The Wines
Arlewood 2019 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon (rrp $40)
From a cooler vintage, this is a medium-bodied wine showing redcurrant, violets and dried herbs on the nose. The palate is ‘leafy’ with flavours of redcurrant and red cherry. Tannins are fine and linear, oak integrated and not overt, despite the 24 months in quality barriques. A slatey mineral mouth-feel. This is a more delicate, lighter fruit weight style of Cab Sav. Definitely needs time ‘in the glass’ to open up and show its true qualities. Initially I thought it was a bit ‘fruit thin’, but not so with time, with new flavours emerging , and giving it a nice chocolate finish. With its firm acidity, will cellar for up to 12 years.
Arlewood 2018 Margaret River La Bratta Rosso (rrp $60)
Arlewood’s high premium flagship wine and from the exemplary 2018 vintage. It is an interesting blend of Cabernet Franc (47%), Merlot (42%), with 6% Nebbiolo and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon added. Very selected fruit and a limited production of only 360 dozen bottles. A wine of elegance and delicacy. Attractive ruby colour, rustic aromatics, blackcurrant-leaf, with hints of green pepper. Palate is savoury and mouthfilling. Blackberry, leafy, caraway seed flavours. Nice fine ‘grippy’ tannins. The Cab Franc characters come through strongly. Complex, balanced with a long finish. Will reward another 10 years. A wine of contemplation.
Win…
For your chance to win premium wines from Arlewood Estate,
visit our competitions page to enter.