Cape Barren Wines first vintage was in 1999, and the philosophy has and always will be to source the very highest quality of grapes, from regions most suited to each variety, and then craft exceptional world class wines of outstanding value. Summers in McLaren Vale are often accompanied by the arrival of magnificent Cape Barren Geese. These rare and striking birds, once feared near extinction, are the inspiration for the name.

Each batch of fruit from McLaren Vale spent fifteen days on skins before fermentation in a mix of tank and new and older French and American oak hogsheads, before two years of maturation. An opaque purple colour, there is well integrated oak in evidence here. Notes of chocolate, mulberries, plums and vanilla as well. Rich and generous, the wine exhibits excellent balance and length with plush and rather silky tannins. The palate sees an explosion of rather gorgeous chocolate flavours. Delicious now and for at least the next eight to ten years. Date: Dec 2024; Price: $150.00; Drink by: 2024-2034; Rating: 94 Points; Ken Gargett; Wine Pilot