Warm conditions during the ripening season produced a wonderful 2007. Deep ruby with violet hues. A wonderfully aromatic wine displaying classic Cabernet cassis, violets and juicy dark fruit. Blackberries, cherry and dark chocolate combine to create a layered, complex nose. This wine reveals an intense dark berry fruit spectrum coupled with a rich and lush mouthfeel. High quality French oak has given the wine great defi nition and a long, soft tannin structure and finish.

Dense crimson-purple; proclaims its class from the first whiff of blackcurrant and cedar, the powerful but perfectly balanced palate strongly evocative of Bordeaux, with black olive and high quality tannins underwriting the long finish, oak judged to perfection. Rating: 96 Points; Drink to: 2023; Date tasted: 01/Feb/2011; Price: $60.00; Alcohol: 14.2%; James Halliday Wine Companion

If any of you want a respite from wine spending, then look away now. And for those of you that speculated on further price rises post 2005 vintage, the price remains the same. Dark and broody, a little beefy, with violet and bay leaf perfume, mocha and black olive. It has all the grunt and power of the vintage with its wall of flavour, spread of firm ripe tannin and long marzipan accented finish. To give you an idea of style, I’d suggest it’s like a better, more refined version of the 2004 vintage. It’s going to cellar for a very long time too. Rated : 95+ Points Tasted : Aug11 Alcohol : 14.2% Price : $60 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2016 - 2027+ By Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

If the Leston is a lovely example of ripe Margaret River Cabernet then this takes it to 'classic' level. Simply put, believe the hype. It's a riper year Voyager, but everything about it screams class, with perfectly judged, dark-yet-leafy, spicy black fruit and polished choc-milk drop oak. There's an almost smoky edge to the palate, the tannins mouth desiccating and long. Real seed and skin tannins those and all class. Classic wine this, classic indeed. 18.6/95 Points; Andrew Graham; Oz Wine Review

Voyager's odyssey is to make the best wine possible. Girt by Sea is a suave Cabernet Merlot in classic Margaret River styling, vigorously fruit driven and seductively soft, it makes sensational early drinking and will thrill all who indulge in it.

Voyager employs maximum vine management in terms of canopy maintenance, aiming for low bud numbers and small bunches per vine for premium fruit quality, clonal selection is also an area of close attention. All components are vinified seperately in upright static fermenters with regular pumpovers. Inoculated by small amounts of the 796 Bordeaux yeast strain and fermented at temperatures kept below 28°C. Ferments last up to fourteen days before either being pressed or allowed to stay on skins for further texture and tannin modification. All batches complete malolactic in tank before a transfer to barrel and matured in a mix of older French and American oaks for twelve months 
 
Dark red, crimson colour. Lifted bouquet of cassis and mulberries with some dusty briary notes and hints of vanillin and cedar from the fine grained oak. A fine elegant wine with an excellent concentration of juicy, ripe fruit displaying flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and mulberry. The silky tannins integrate seamlessly with the fruit. Gently oaked and subtley spiced, the fine, earthy tannins taper to a well structured and clean finish.

Australians all let us rejoice, for Voyager’s almost free! With boundless violet perfume to share, its palate abounds in nature’s gifts of tobacco, capsicum and blackcurrant. In joyful strains then let us drink! Advance Margaret River fare! $19 at WineStar. Drink 2012-2018; 92 points; Tyson Stezer, Wine Taste

Shows the effortlessness Marrgaret River can string a Cabernet Merlot together. Juicy black cherry and plum fruits, leaves and mulberry and spicy oak. Plenty of punch, freshness and balance.  Nick Stock; Wine100 – 92 points

Cabernet Sauvignon (51%), Shiraz (29%), Merlot (20%). Deep plum with brick red hues. The aroma displays lifted fresh berry fruits including blackberry, raspberry and mulberries. Cedary oak, star anise and fresh leather add subtle complexity. The palate displays succulent fresh black and red berry fruits and fine, sandy tannins which provide a structured and focused wine. The generous fruit weight is balanced by integrated cedary oak and refreshing acidity which come together to produce a wine with great balance and style. Wirra Wirra sources fruit from a combination of owned vineyards and premium McLaren Vale growers. The blend of individual vineyard and sub-regional characteristics is the key to the resulting style. Sub regions are Blewitt Springs, McLaren Flat, Willunga and McLaren Vale.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (51%), Shiraz (29%) and Merlot. I’m leaving the 09 Woodhenge for Mattinson to review, giving it the benefit of my doubt, which was pushed along a little by the quality of this release. First thing that struck me was how purple and blue it smelt – and I do love a synaesthetic wine experience, man. There’s blue fruit, violets, light coffee nougat oak and a little menthol on a fresh medium-weight base. It’s a little rustic, with its mildly gritty tannins, but they play to its best advantage when combined with the freshness and liveliness on offer. Length and aftertaste is good and the whole package presents as pretty and delicious. A little bit of cellaring won’t do it any harm either. Rated : 92 Points Tasted : Jan11 Alcohol : 14.5% Price : $22 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2011 - 2016+ By Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

Our 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Picked in early April, the parcels of fruit for our Cabernet Sauvignon were crushed into small open fermentors. The wine was fermented at temperatures ranging from 18 to 24 degrees Celsius, and was pumped over four times a day. Near the end of primary fermentation, the wine was pressed and transferred into new French oak barrels to complete primary fermentation in barrel.

Gold at the 2008 Japan Wine Challenge

A classic example of cabernet with leafy notes sitting gracefully on top of cassis and a little black olive complexity; rich yet fine on the palate, with plenty of fine-grained tannins; oak dominates now, but will offer real pleasure with time. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 96 Drink 2020 Date Tasted Feb 08 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2010

Has 95 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 4 per cent malbec and 1 per cent cabernet franc that spent 23 months in new French oak. A classic example of cabernet with leafy notes sitting gracefully on top of cassis and a little black olive complexity; rich yet fine on the palate, with fine-grained tannins; oak now starting to integrate. From Margaret River - Drink 2010-2020 with beef provencal. 96 Points; James Halliday's Top 100 Wines 2008

Perched somewhere between Worlds Old and New, this is a pristine, stylish and profoundly structured cabernet. Scented with violets, dried herbs and undergrowth, its deep presence of cassis, dark cherry, blackberry and dark plum flavour is tightly knit with polished dark and lightly smoky chocolate/cedar oak and framed by gravelly, firm and loose-knit tannin. Long and seamless, it's an exercise in restrained power, finishing with a lingering core of vibrant fruit.(19.0/96, YTD 2017-2025+) Jeremy Oliver

Colin Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($110) - Woodlands cabernets are on par with the very best from anyone in the district. This is one of the best. It has power and intensity which it delivers with poise and panache. Wonderfully complex cedary, tobacco and leafy nose while the palate is firm yet with nice opulent flesh, held with perfect oak and ripe tannins. Rating: 97/100 Ray Jordan's WA Wine Guide 2009

In the most May 2009 edition of Winestate Magazine, Woodlands 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Colin' topped the category for Western Australian Cabernet Sauvignon with a 5 star rating!

Our 2007 ‘Margaret’ is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 16% Malbec. The wine has spent 18 months in French oak barrels, of which two thirds were new and the remainder one year old. Intense deep crimson colour, the nose of this wine shows rich briar cedar aromatics with hints of cassis and blackcurrant. The palate is rich, even, and seamless with powerful blackcurrant flavours. The wine shows great balance and richness, great acidity and long ripe tannins. A gold medal winner at this year’s Margaret River Wine Show, we consider our 2007 ‘Margaret’ to be our best yet! This wine will be best enjoyed from 2015 -2020.

Gold Medal - Margaret River Wine Show

A long-term classic, with finely honed power and exceptional balance. Its heady, brambly scents of violets, cassis blackberries blueberries and raspberries are underpinned by smoky cedar/mocha/vanilla oak with undertones of dark cherries. Remarkably long, smooth and focused, its very polished, plush palate is saturated with intense fruit and tight-grained oak and tightly knit with firm, but silky-fine tannins, offering a tightly controlled measure of voluptuous depth and expression rare in Australian cabernet. (19.3/97, YTD 2019-2027+) Jeremy Oliver

Crimson-red; an austere wine taking its cue from Bordeaux, partly from the savoury black fruits and partly from the tannins; deliberately early picked. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 94 Drink 2020 $39.50 Date Tasted Feb 09 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2010

Woodlands Margaret Cabernet 2007 ($60) Although the vineyard was established way back in 1973 in Wilyabrup in Margaret River, it's only been since around 2001 that Woodlands has concentrated on making wine under its own label rather than supplying fruit to other producers as it had done for its previous three decades. The cabernets, in particular, are superb, and their flagship Margaret Cabernet Merlot, to be released in April and made from 67 per cent Cabernet, 17 per cent Merlot and 16 per cent Cabernet Franc is truly worth hunting down. Philip Rich, of The Australian Financial Review Magazine

Purple red in colour, the nose is classic Margaret River Cabernet blend: Blackberry and blackcurrant, rosemary, spice, leather & fragrant herbaceous overtones, backed by low level, edge smoothing oak. Its so perfect and pure and awesome-o. The palate? The palate just relays the perfection of the nose, with red berries, cedar, gum leaf & tannins that go on and on. Its almost perfectly ripe erring on the leafy side (which I like) and sits at the ideologically perfect 13.5% alcohol mark. Already a lovely drink, already balanced (in the true style of great wines) and it will continue to evolve for a decade without quibbles. Buy it right now. 19.0 Points; Andrew Graham; Oz Wine Review

Our 2009 Cabernet Merlot is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The 2009 Cabernet Merlot is bright crimson in colour. The nose is very aromatic, displaying blackcurrant, mulberry, violet, and a touch of toasty French oak. The palate follows the lead of the nose- showing dark red berry fruits and finishing with soft ripe tannins. Woodlands Winery

Bright crimson-purple; the percentages are not stated, but there is no shortage of the fragrance of cabernet franc on the bouquet; the palate has a silky texture to its red fruits; lovely medium-bodied wine. Score: 94 Points James Halliday

Woodlands is one of Margaret River’s best producers and I’ve been looking forward to trying a line-up of its current releases. This cabernet merlot is the estate’s starting point red. It’s a pretty serious wine, too. Challenging, almost. It has a lot of dry, assertive tannin and not a lot of fruit flesh to make the going easier. It needs time to mellow. It tastes of gravel, blackcurrant, eucalypt and tobacco. I found it hard work at first, but the more time it had to breathe, the more potential I saw. This is a wine that combines sturdiness with elegance. It’s not a wine for immediate consumption; patience is required. Rated : 90+ Points Alcohol : 13.5% Price : $23 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2013 - 2018 By Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

Rigorous assessment of vineyards is essential to identify the fruit style suitable for Wyndham Estate BIN 444 Cabernet Sauvignon. Prior to harvest, careful monitoring of the selected vineyards was undertaken by the winemakers to assess flavour development and sugar accumulation. The decision to harvest was based on flavour intensity and varietal character.

The fruit was de-stemmed and crushed inoculated with wine yeast. The temperature range of fermentation was maintained between 20°C and 28°C for periods of 10 to 15 days. The fermenters were pumped over twice every 24hours to irrigate the grape skin cap, thus liberating fruit flavour and balanced tannins.  Selected Cabernet Sauvignon parcels were matured in a selection of French and American oak Hogsheads prior to blending, stabilising and filtration.
  
Deep crimson red with vibrant purple hues. Distinctive ripe blackcurrant, plum and capsicum aromas supported by a subtle savoury and spicy oak background. Medium to full bodied in style with ripe blackcurrant and plum Cabernet flavours combined with delicate chocolate /smoky oak. Grape and oak tannins are harmonised to provide a lingering, but soft, structured finish.

First produced in 1954, and widely known as 'Black Label', Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has established a reputation for displaying excellent varietal and regional characteristics. The wine is produced from only the top 20 - 25% of Cabernet fruit available from Wynns Coonawarra Estate. A wine of style and stature, and a perennial favourite in auction circles, the 'Black Label' is one of Australia's most collectable wines. It consistently delivers the potential for medium to long-term cellaring. The average vineyard age for Wynns 'Black Label' is 33 years. 2009 is the 54th vintage of this legendary wine and for only the second time in its history (after the 2007 vintage) James Halliday last weekend rated it 96 Points in the The Weekend Australian, November 19

A good concentration of ripe, dark-berry fruit swathed in serious tannins, backed by classy toasty oak adding complexity. A savoury and succulent wine with a pleasing velvety texture adding length on the finish and suggesting a healthy future in the cellar. Sue Hodder Wynns Chief Wine Maker.

Black Label is deeper coloured than “The Sidings”, but still limpid. It presents a deeper side of cabernet, including black-olive and cassis-like flavours, bound up in sweet, spicy oak. It’s a buoyant, balanced cabernet – generous but elegant, with fine, firm tannins. It remains one of Australia’s best value, long-term cellaring wines. It’s probably better now than it’s ever been. Chris Shanahan

Wynns cabernet is one of Australia's most recognisable reds and its quality is consistently excellent. Mulberry, juicy blackcurrant, dried herbs and a whiff of rustic earthiness mark the nose. Cedary oak is finely balanced and the palate combines ripe cabernet fruit and varietal austerity with good depth and body followed by a very long finish. Rating: 5 Stars * * * * * Ralph Kyte-Powell; Epicure - The Age

The 2009 black label cabernet from wynns has terrific poise and ripeness on the nose. It's pinned to the Coonawarra region with mint leaves, eucalypt and a floral edge, and there's black cherry and cassis fruit below - nice and fresh. The palate's quite juicy and assertive, with dark chocolate and cherries, savoury oak, creeping firm tannins and impressive promise for those that will cellar. Price: $34.00; Alc: 14%; Drink: to 2016; Rating: 94 points; Nick Stock; SMH/The Age - Good Wine Guide 2012

For normal people who like to drink and cellar wine, though perhaps not for the Hipsters (no offence, Hipsters), Wynns Black Label is one of the most important releases of the year. Smells good – like a real Cabernet. Cedar wood, black olive, mint, black fruit, earth and some vanilla oak. It’s a broody and muscular Black Label, dense and unashamedly tannic, with an adult savoury flavour profile, though a little sweet oak softens the effect. It perhaps needs to grow into its finish over time, with some black tea tannin reeling it in a little at present, but undoubtedly has the stuffing to sit comfortably with some of the better Black Label vintages. Has plenty of appeal and charisma. I’m your fan, Blackie. Rated : 93+ Points Tasted : Aug11 Alcohol : 14% Price : $34.99 Closure : Screwcap Drink : 2016 - 2029 By Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

The Black Label has returned to form in this classically textured, structured and long-term vintage of berry fruit and sinewy tannins. October/November 2011 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.

Black Label has legendary longevity (I’m still awaiting 1994s in my cellar) and the tight 2009 vintage pulls it away from the overt, expressive styles of late and back to the classic, monumentally structured demeanour of old. Sinewy, taut dark berry fruits lurk. Rating: 93 Points; Tyson Stelzer; Wine Taste - Edition 26

John Riddoch is made in small quantities from the best fruit grown to the estate's extensive plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Conceived as a flagship wine for the Wynns portfolio, it carries the name of the Coonawarra's founding father into the 21st century. Arguably richer and more concentrated than any other Coonawarra, made only in years when Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinarily high quality is available, less than one per cent of the most superior estate grown grapes are destined for inclusion into John Riddoch

For more than 50 years the heritage-listed winery and its famous gables have been a feature of Wynns labels. During that time the gables have become a distinctive mark of exceptional Coonawarra quality. The Gables has all the characters of a classic Wynns wine. Selected small parcels of premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz have created a full-bodied yet supple wine. Its fine balance of tannin, dark fruits and integrated oak make it an ideal accompaniment at lunch or dinner.

Winter rains were below average and Spring was very dry, followed by healthy rainfall in December. January and February were incredibly dry with only 2.2 mm precipitation. Summer temperatures were mild and slightly above average for most of the growing season. The vineyards weathered four days of January heat unscathed as they were yet to go through veraison. A long and late harvest was conducive to excellent flavour development (the second latest vintage for the last ten years). Disease pressure was very low and fruit for the 2009 Coonawarra vintage arrived at the winery in excellent condition.

A blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third. The wine spent 14 months in a mix of seasoned (56%) and new French oak barrels. Bright red with purple hues. Attractive red fruits and spice, with a faint touch of fresh mint wrapped in well integrated French oak. Vibrant Cabernet flavours dominate, with rich Shiraz fleshing out the palate. The tannins are silky, and creamy oak supports the fresh, bright fruit, adding length to the palate and a spicy, fragrant finish.

This wine was matured for 12 months with new and seasoned French and American oak barrels. Selected parcels remained unoaked to retain a fresh lift. Medium ruby red with a bright hue. Cassis and distinctive dark red cherries are lifted with a hint of regional and varietal Coonawarra mint. Good depth of Cabernet fruit (dark red cherries) melds with subtle, creamy oak. Length of flavour on the palate is long and rewarding, with typical, chalky Coonawarra Cabernet tannins. This wine can be enjoyed on release or cellared in the short to medium term for five to eight years. Winemaking Note

Bright colour and pure fruited with cassis, a light seasoning of oak, a small dollop of eucalypt, and ample, fleshy and perfumed fruit on the palate; fine, fragrant, polished and poised, the underlying power of the supple fruit will see a long life ahead. Screwcap. 13.5% alc. Rating 94 Points; Drink 2020 $22 Date Tasted Dec 10 James Halliday Wine Companion

How unfortunate for Wynns that the release of this beautiful, elegant new cabernet coincided with the retail slaughter of its classic, long-lived, black-label cellar mate. The new wine focuses on drinkability now, and captures purity of varietal aroma and flavour in the most fragrant, elegant, delicious style imaginable. This is a class double act from winemaker Sue Hodder and vineyard manager Allan Jenkins. Chris Shanahan

2009 Wynns Coonawarra Estate The Siding: Cab Sav ($21); A quality cabernet from Coonawarra's first winery ticks all of the boxes. John Fordham; The Sunday Telegraph

V & A Lane is a long, straight road that dissects Coonawarra's famous Terra rossa strip at its midpoint. Originally surveyed in the late 1840s, the lane divides the original electorates of Victoria and Albert. Traditionally it has been used as a landmark to separate northern and southern vineyards in Coonawarra, a prestigious and highly sought locality for growing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The precious fruit from these vineyards exhibits a signature density and richness, the defining characteristic of this location along the Coonawarra strip

Established by John Riddoch in 1896, Wynns was the first winery in Coonawarra. In 1951 Melbourne merchants Samuel and David Wynn purchased Riddoch's original vineyards and winery, renaming the property Wynns Coonawarra Estate. The Wynns family recognised the intrinsic qualities of Coonawarra wines, their richness and intensity of fruit character, and set out to build an independent identity for the region. They created the famous label that features John Riddoch's gabled winery, one of Australia's most recognizable buildings. An essentially Cabernet wine with a third of Shiraz, V & A Lane spent fifteen months in a combination of new and seasoned French and American oak barrels. Alcohol 13.5%

Bright colour; fresh crushed blackberry and cedar bouquet; precise and fragrant on the palate, with lingering cassis notes on the long and tightly wound finish. 94 Points; James Halliday

Like the shiraz from V and A Lane, this wine presents a strong face of Coonawarra – a blend of many parts, including components matured in a range of oak from different areas and coopers. The oak gives a cedary note, but the cabernet drives the wine with its blackcurrant flavour and strong, fine, elegant structure – fleshed out subtly by the shiraz. This is another strong but elegant red. Chris Shanahan

The near perfect conditions in early summer provided fantastic growing conditions, and while disease pressure was practically not-existent the lack of significant flowering in the Marri gums lead to serious bird pressure that in some cases resulted in crop losses and required carful hand selection of fruit. Brief rains after most of the white varieties had been harvested offered a welcome respite, slowing up the reds and allowing flavour and tannin ripeness to catch up with the sugars. The near perfect finish to the season ensured all of the red farieties were abel to be harvested at optimum maturity, before the season broke well and truly with significant rains in the last half of April
 
Ripe fruits of the forest, boysen berries and cassis integrated with dark chocolate, cinnamon and spice. Full-bodied yet refined, the plush palate offers ripe, jubey fruits such as blackcurrants, plums and mulberries framed by subtle cedar/spicy oak characters. This dense wine is a well structured, layered with dark fleshy fruit characteristics, rip tannins and a lingering finish. Vibrant and robust in its youth, this is a wine which will certainly benefit from further bottle maturation, and will cellar comfortably for 5-10 years.
 
Offers a complex, fragrant bouquet of dark berries and quality oak, the layered medium-to full-bodied palate ranging further afield with mulberry and plum coming into the picture, the texture built around fine, ripe cedary tannins. Screwcap. 14% alc. To 2023. $35; 96 Points. James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2012 Edition.
 
A truly superb rendition of Margaret River cabernet with bright, ripe blackcurrant and plum fruits, gentle leafy notes and classy cedary French oak. The palate’s richly flavoured and framed in elegantly sheeted tannins - it lingers right on point. Balanced so as to drink well now, this should perform nicely in the cellar too. 94 Points; Nick Stock, The Age/SMH Good Wine Guide 2011

Gold Medal - 2010 Wine Show of Western Australia

Another beautifully elegant and regally stylish cabernet from these guys. Has everything in just the right place from the silky smooth intensely concentrated fruit, through the seamless integration of fine grainy tannins and high quality oak. Presents beautifully on the palate. 93 Points; Ray Jordan; 2011 Western Australia Wine Guide

Bay leaf, mulberry and red fruit, cocoa and aniseed. It's a fresh, medium weight wine offering slinky tannins, good length and an all round satisfying regional experience. Not profound or diverting - just a lovely drinking wine with a fair bit of class. 92 Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

The Menzies, our sole Coonawarra vineyard, is in the heart of the Coonawarra terra rossa country. The defining terroir difference between the vineyards comes from the soils - most of our vineyard soil is red sandy loam over limestone - classic full-bodied red dirt.

Like its elder sibling Yalumba The Menzies, Yalumba The Cigar is made through traditional small lot winemaking techniques. The grapes are crushed to small static fermenters and, once the fermentation commences, the temperature is allowed to peak early at 30°C, then given more control at around 20°C. This ensures good extraction of colour and tannin. The grapes stay on skins for approximately seven days, though some tanks are given extended skin contact before pressing. The wine was matured for 14 months in mainly French oak hogsheads.

Yalumba The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is crimson red with an aroma that fills the senses. There are floral high tones of violets and lavender underscored by bass notes of cherries and dark chocolate. The wine is bright with fresh red fruits such as cherries and currants sweeping the palate followed by the melted chocolate texture of the soft tannins. The finish lingers pleasantly. Try with a plate of charcuterie or antipasto.

There’s nothing second-grade about the finest vintage of Yalumba’s second label Coonawarra cab. The wine to drink while The Menzies sorts itself out for a decade in the cellar, it sports bright and vibrant red- and blackcurrant fruit, tobacco and, of course, cigar box." 94 Points; Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste

Really looks the goods with its sanguine red-dirt origins shining loud in the glass - rusted earth. There's handsomely intense cassis and fresh-swept leaves, and some mellow cedary oak in the background. On the palate, it's a ripe and fleshy mouthful of supple berry fruits and fine, juicy tannins. The finish is mouth-watering, holding long berry flavour in place. This punches well above its weight. 93 Points; Nick Stock; The Good Wine Guide

The Cigar refers to the shape of the strip of terra rossa dirt in Coonawarra where you find some of the great names and finest wines of the region. This is true to Coonawarra style in its structure and balance, combining power and effortless finish. This wine has it all. Ray Jordan's top 100 for winter drinking, The West Australian

Named after the loosely cigar-shaped terra rossa strip of soil in the Coonawarra region, this shows solid regional notes of fragrant blackcurrant with a distinctive swirl of earth and forest as well, then a burst of bright, juicy flavour, lots of zip and grab and fleshiness in the mouth. Value: Go for it. Food: Rare red meats. 4 Stars; Tony Love, The Advertiser Taste

‘The Scribbler’ pays homage to one of Yalumba’s most renowned wines ‘The Signature’ Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, made continuously since 1962. ‘The Scribbler’ re-enforces our dedication to this wine style and celebrates its heritage. This wine is full depth red in colour with purple hues, displaying an aroma of brooding Barossa Cabernet with dark berried fruits, hints of mint and leafiness. The palate is full and stylish showing Shiraz sweetness and plumminess, but finishing with long fine tannins. Perfect now, but will certainly cellar over the next 5-10 years. A perfect food match with a roasted rack of lamb.

A compellingly luscious wine which offers an array of blackcurrant, blackberry and plum fruit on both bouquet and palate, with enough savoury tannins on the finish to tighten the structure to the degree needed; balanced oak. Rating: 94 Points; Drink: 2023; James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, 2011 Edition

Give straight shiraz the swerve for once and try on Australia's most under-rated blend! Scribbler is so precise, it tastes like cabernet and shiraz at the same time. Well, duh... but no one else can pull this off for $20! The best bargain red in the country? Too right it is! Vintage: 2008 Score: 93 points; Tyson Stelzer

Last year’s release was a huge hit in this book’s ‘best reds under $20 category’ (top place). It’s a newish wine to the Yalumba range, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. As a young wine it opens up quite charry and toasty so splash it round and give it some air if you’re going in early. It has lots of dusty, minty, aniseed fragrance over dark chocolate and mixed berries, and when it hits your mouth you’ll be greeted by a rugged and sandy, yet handsome, set of tannins. We’d call them rustic, hot vintage tannins, but they’re enjoyable nonetheless. It’s a bit of a rough diamond, but it is still a diamond. Rating: 91 Points; Drink: 2011 - 2018; Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2010/2011

The Scribbler takes a more savoury and herbal look at this iconic blend and fashions its flavour in a more upright manner than that of the Willunga 100, Hellbent, or The Musician. With a fair degree of tannin, and therefore age-ability, this is a wine which is only starting to show its class now, but it will evolve in time more than the aforementioned trio. There is a good argument for having them all in your cellar though, such is the diversity of black fruit flavours and the detail of oak involved. The Scribbler is a wine which Yalumba has focused on heavily of late and this is fantastically encouraging for us all. Matthew Jukes, 100 Best Australian Wines

The Scribbler is a younger sibling to the iconic The Signature which each year is made in honour of a Yalumba employee, not necessarily well known, who has given exemplary service to the company. Quality blend of Barossa cabernet sauvignon and shiraz that could be best described as a little brother (or sister) to Yalumba's The Signature. Sweet plum, red and black berry fruit on the nose and palate, spicy characters, nicely balanced oak and juicy tannins. Kerry Skinner, The Illawarra Mercury Weekender

In 2006 the Barossa Valley produced some excellent aromatic parcels of Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit from the Krondorf foothills, Tanunda foothills and the valley floor comprises the majority of Cabernet in the blend, along with a small percentage from the Eden Valley. The majority of Shiraz was sourced from the Eden Valley, supported by a small percentage from our leading old Barossa Valley Shiraz vineyards, giving generosity, richness and texture. The grapes were handpicked and crushed to our eight tonne open top stainless steel fermenters. The natural, or wild, yeasts present on the grape skins were allowed to initiate the sugar fermentation. Cultured winery yeasts were then added to complete this fermentation. The result is a wine with excellent depth of colour, richness and complexity.
 
The blend is known as 'The Great Australian Red' - the traditional Aussie marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. For something so 'traditional', there sure are relatively few examples of this style on the market, and fewer again that have nailed the brief. The upside to that is, the ones that have nailed it, the likes of Penfolds (389), Glaetzer (Godolphin) and Yalumba (Signature, FDR, Scribbler) have produced outstanding examples.

The long-awaited release of the Yalumba Signature 2006 is a magnificent throwback to the 'The Great Australian Red' of old. Aromas of dried herbs, fresh earthy characters and sweet dark chocolate fill the air upon opening. In the mouth is a ripe and luscious sweet fruit core with blackcurrant leading the charge. The cleansing savoury notes and lingering acidity on the back palate most resemble some of the great old-school wines. The powerful and generous fruit from the exceptional 2006 vintage are brilliantly balanced by the elegance and silky tannin texture on the finish. It is beautifully put together, remarkably approachable now but will conservatively see out this decade and a fair bit of the next one. Now – 2020+; Quality: Exceptional BW; WineStar© December 2010

Matured for 22 months in American, French and Hungarian barrels. Provides a journey based on grace, elegance and purity; fresh, vibrant and largely unevolved, the potent black-berried fruit is pure and poised, and the tannins are silky and fine; the vibrancy of the fruit core is electric. Drink: 2015 to 2030 with rare roast beef. 96 points & Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2010 – The Weekend Australian November 13-14, 2010

A recent vertical spanning the almost 50-year history of this wine demonstrated its longevity and 2006 as one of the finest vintages in a long time. A beautifully elegant 13.5% alcohol preserves its floral lift, bright berry fruits profile and sprinkling of black pepper. 96 points; Tyson Stelzer, Wine100 (Australia), October 2010
 
Yalumba Signature has a long lineage, and it almost always rewards those who have become loyal to it. Even better, it tends to drink well as both a young and mature wine. This release tastes of blackberry and vanillin, leather and mint. It’s seductively smooth, tannic but not excessively so, and long through the finish. Not a hair out of place. Drink: 2012-2019; Rating: 94 Points; Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2010/2011

The Cabernet Sauvignon was de-stemmed and crushed into open stainless steel fermenters, roto-fermenters or closed fermenters. Extended maceration for 28 days of some selected parcels to improve tannic structure. Hand plunged and ‘rack and return’ methods of cap management allow gentle extraction of fine grain tannins whilst providing fruit concentration. 15 months in French oak adds supporting spicy, vanillan oak.

Deep, rich red, garnet. The nose boasts of sweet blackcurrant, mulberry, chocolate, mocha and cedary oak. Medium to full bodied, the palate is fruit forward with rich blackcurrant and cassis. Overlayed with sweet raspberries and violet undertones. The mid palate is round and supple, the tannins are fine and ripe. Intensity and concentration only found in exceptional years. Now - 2020

Video Tasting: http://www.yering.com/2010-yering-station-cabernet-sauvignon.html?mid=2&sid=1

Strong but clear purple-crimson; a distinguished cabernet with deep and satisfying blackcurrant/cassis fruit aromas and flavours; the medium- to full-bodied palate has exemplary balance and structure, both ripe tannins and quality oak adding complexity. A minimum 20-year life ahead. Drink to: 2030; Rating: 96 points, $38, Screwcap, 14.0% alc; James Halliday; The Weekend Australian, November 19th, 2011.

Coonawarra is renowned for its remarkable Terra Rossa soil, a thin metre band of soil over laying a deep formation of limestone. The Zema family is proudly traditional in its approach to vineyard practices, favouring hand pruning and limited irrigation to maximise fruit quality. These practices are enhanced by the family’s three strategically selected prime vineyard locations, capitalising on the regions subtle climatic variations.

This wine was made from fruit which was harvested at its optimum maturity. The wine was fermented for 7 days under controlled temperatures in a combination of rotary and static fermenters. The wine was carefully matured in hogsheads (300 litre barrels) for 14 months. Well structured with outstanding depth of fruit, this wine while drinking well now this wine will continue to gain more complexity with cellaring

Attractive dark medium red colour with a purple hue. Dark berries, spice, a subtle hint of regional mint and an attractive violet lift. The palate is attractively textured and complex, consisting of a blend of rich and ripe fruit supported by well integrated oak from its 14 months in predominantly French oak barrels.