Cloudburst is the labour of love of Will Berliner. Situated in Margaret River’s Wilyabrup sub-region, Cloudburst boasts an impressive list of accolades for its short history, a testament to Will’s vision to create exceptionally detailed expressions of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec, from his minuscule vineyard. Behind the intensity, elegance and power of Cloudburst wines, is Will’s very deliberate ‘hands-off’ approach; close planted, dry grown, organically managed and with zero mechanisation or synthetic input, nature is given the space to bear fruit as intended. As Will himself puts it, ‘everything we do is interrelated with the cycles of nature’ – a philosophy that is producing consistently astonishing wines that somehow, only keep getting better.
Sage, bay leaf, salt bush, currant and a verdant lilt that is subtle, detailed and quintessentially Margaret River cabernet. Cassis, graphite, kelp and a smear of tapenade. A mid-weighted expression from a vintage that is on the cooler side, albeit, with no shortage of class or refinement. I almost prefer vintages like this, as they sort the wheat from the chaff while offering a savory drinkability over oodles of fruit. Moreover, they service greater interest for the drinker than uniformly effortless years. An excellent 2021. Drinkable now, but best from 2028. Screw cap.