The winery takes it name from the nearby Devil's Lair cave, hidden amongst the hills of Margaret River - an ancient, mysterious place known to have been inhabited as long as 40,000 years ago. Fossil remains of the elusive Tasmanian Devil discovered on the site are believed to be the origin of the cave's name.

Hailing from the premium wine growing region of Margaret River, Devil's Lair forms part of the Great Estates that produce wines of the highest quality. This strongly maritime-influenced climate is not dissimilar to Bordeaux in a dry vintage; hence the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

The wines made from the region have gained a well deserved reputation for clarity and delicacy of fruit flavours and elegance in their structure. These characteristics are expressed strongly in our wines, which reflect the singular combination of geology, geography and climate that is unique to the Devil's Lair estate.

A cooler than usual vintage resulted in a wine with opulent fruit and subtle fine tannins. Our usual blending trio of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are present with just a slight increase in Cabernet Sauvignon - a decision based on the high quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vineyard Region

Margaret River

Vintage Conditions

The 1996 vintage was a coolish vintage relative to the preceding vintages of 1994 and 1995. The grapes remained on the vine until the last week of April and so produced the latest vintage to date at Devil's Lair.

Grape Variety

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Maturation

18 months in new and 1 year old French barriques.

Winemaker Comments: Stuart Pym