Cabernet Merlot

West Cape Howe sources fruit from Mount Barker, a subregion of Western Australia positioned at 300–400 metres elevation in the southern reaches of the Great Southern wine zone. The site benefits from maritime influence and diurnal temperature swing that extends ripening across cool-climate parameters. Soils are gravelly loam over clay, typical of the region's glacial legacy.

This Cabernet Merlot blend employs traditional co-fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel, with malolactic conversion in tank to preserve acidity and primary fruit definition. The wine receives 12 months in French oak (proportion of new wood not specified in available data), allowing integration of oak tannin with varietal structure. Bottling occurs without fining or filtration in select vintages, though clarification method should be confirmed per release.

The blend ratio favours Cabernet Sauvignon's structural backbone over Merlot's softening influence—a deliberate choice reflecting Mount Barker's capacity to ripen Cabernet fully while maintaining freshness. This is a wine built for cellaring rather than immediate consumption, with tannin architecture designed to evolve over 8–12 years from vintage.

Drink from release through 2032 (assuming standard vintage years).