LIRICA
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON

A Collaboration Between Mr Barval & Lee Haselgrove.

LIRICA is a tiny-production Cabernet Sauvignon from a 54-year-old vineyard in Wilyabrup, shaped by a collaboration between Mr Barval winemaker Rob Gherardi and highly regarded viticulturist Lee Haselgrove.

Dry grown. Old vines. Meticulous farming. Naturally low yielding. Wild fermented. Unfined and unfiltered. A slightly obsessive level of attention from both vineyard and winery. This is a wine years in the making.

Produced in extremely limited quantities, LIRICA sits as an icon, vineyard-driven collaboration within the Mr Barval portfolio.

Join our Wine Club or sign up to the LIRICA allocation list below for first access to this release.

Introducing LIRICA Cabernet Sauvignon

The countdown to the LIRICA release is officially on.

Family Member Release — Monday 6 July
Allocation List Release — Monday 13 July
Public Release — Monday 20 July

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"I spent many years searching for a Grand Cru Cabernet Sauvignon site in Margaret River to bring my energy to. To share a wine that I believe can contribute positively to the reputation of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Margaret River."

Lee Haselgrove, Viticulturist

awards & reviews

Finalist in the Young Gun of Wine Top 50 Vineyards of Australia 2026

Read the full write-up here

"This is the kind of light, elegant, insistent Cabernet that we don’t see enough of. It carries a power of fruit, don’t worry, but it’s modern-Grenache-adjacent in that freshness, perfume, insistence and tannin feel of greater importance than mere depth. We see cedarwood oak on this wine, which will settle, but what we mostly see is remarkably pure Cabernet fruit: blackcurrant, iodine, fennel, redcurrant, olives-in-brine, gravel-rolled graphite and a woodsy spice note, the latter almost but not quite into peppercorn territory. What’s of particular note here is the latticework aspect of the tannin. This tannin, perfectly integrated, is sturdy and effortless at once; it’s half-volley-neatly-dispatched-to-the-boundary tannin.

"This wine tastes as though something special has been added to the Australian wine landscape."

96 Points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Read the full review here

THE WINE

LIRICA is the Italian word for lyrical poetry or opera – a combination of poetic verse, music and staging.

It reflects the coming together of individual elements: a remarkable old vine Cabernet block in the heart of the ‘dress circle’ of Wilyabrup, the focus and dedication of an experienced and attentive viticulturist, meticulous farming, and a winemaker using Old World techniques that allow for a clear and complete expression of terroir.

Put together, these elements create a final artistic product that is greater than the sum of its parts.

"We set out to make a wine that represents the greatness of Margaret River Cabernet. We have gone back to a full and uninterrupted focus upon the site - old vines, great soil, and an Old World approach in the winery."

Rob Gherardi, Winemaker

THE VINEYARD

Planted in 1974, Hutton Vineyard is a remarkable 0.85-hectare site in the heart of Wilyabrup. Now over 50 years of age, the vines are dry-grown and planted on their own roots on consistent Forest Grove soils.

The site is farmed vine-by-vine by Lee Haselgrove, who has over 25 years of vineyard management experience across Australia and abroad.

With no reliance on irrigation and a focus on building soil organic carbon through compost and multi-species cover cropping, the vineyard has developed deep, expansive root systems capable of accessing stored winter rainfall. The result is fruit that reaches physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels – a key factor in achieving balance and longevity in Cabernet Sauvignon. 

“The only way to understand a site is to farm it properly and make the wine. Over time, it became clear this vineyard had the potential to produce something pretty special.”

Lee Haselgrove, Viticulturist

THE COLLABORATION

The path to LIRICA was shaped over many years and many shared conversations. 

Lee Haselgrove took on the lease in 2017, working the vineyard with a long-term view. Rob Gherardi, meanwhile, had long been aware of the site, having passed it daily during his years working in Wilyabrup.

After several attempts to access the fruit, it was only through a shared connection – and conversations around viticulture, tannins and Barolo of all things – that the opportunity came together.

The two had discussed the idea for several years before beginning the project in 2023, with the fourth vintage now in barrel.

“It wasn’t just about making wine from the site. It was about making a single vineyard expression in collaboration with Rob and his considered approach.”

Lee Haselgrove, Viticulturist