Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully perfumed style with delicacy of flavour and fine loose knit tannin structure. The arch-cane trellised estate vineyard lies on classic terra rossa soils. Winemaker Doug Bowen says, "hand-pruning and low bud numbers per vine restrict crop size to five tonnes per hectare. This results in full bodied wines with greater depth of colour and longevity".
“Emma Bowen is making gorgeously scented, expressive and elegantly structured wine. Bowen Estate Cabernet can be lost in the ruck of more extracted and concentrated styles, but it is one of Coonawarra's top wines.”
- Andrew Caillard, MW, Langton’s
Towards the end of vinification, the wine is allowed to complete fermentation in new oak and rotating vinimatic to ameliorate tannins and further add complexity. This is followed by maturation in 1/3rd new and seasoned French and Russian oak barriques for around 18 to 22 months.
Winsor Dobbin says: 'The Bowen family may be considered by some as quaintly old-fashioned with their finely crafted Coonawarra reds. They only make three wines in total while others have range upon range, and their back labels do not contain a single flowery tasting note. What you always get from the Bowens, however, is handcrafted wines full of ripeness, balance and personality. (Sunday Examiner, Tasmania)
Coonawarra
The first vines were planted in Coonawarra by John Riddoch in 1890, however it was not until the renewed interest in table wine production in the 1950's that Coonawarra was brought into the limelight. Located almost 380 km southeast of Adelaide, Coonawarra is today one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia. Its weathered limestone terra rossa soils, avaibility of water and relatively cool maritime climate make it a unique viticultural region. Extremely flat and unprotected, Coonawarra is exposed both to the swinging influences of the cool Great Southern Ocean and hot, dry northerly winds. Spring frosts also pose a major threat with the potential to wipe out entire crops. Mechanical harvesting is widely employed in the region although smaller producers prefer to tend their vines by hand. Coonawarra is best known for classically-styled Cabernet Sauvignon, although in good years, Shiraz from the region is also very compelling.
