Forest Hill's timeline with Cabernet Sauvignon goes back to the original two hectares of planting in 1965, when the earliest batches of fruit were vinified at Houghton's. Forest Hill choose to dry grow their vines, believing it to be a major contributor to vine health and concentration of fruit flavour. As the vineyard developed and more vines were planted, Forest Hill began to be recognised throughout Australia as a producer of very high quality fruit and the backbone behind some of WA's most famous wines. The unique attributes of the region were recognised by the late Robert Holmes à Court who, in 1989 purchased Forest Hill as the oldest vineyard in the Great Southern to complement his ownership of Vasse Felix.