Cabernet Sauvignon

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

There is so much to like about this cabernet. It started life with fermentation in amphora before maturation in French barriques for about five months. This technique has clearly had an influence because this is a quite exquisitely presented cabernet, seamlessly integrated, finely structured, and supremely refined. Aromas of blackcurrant, very subtle bay leaf, and black olive. And then a...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Griffiths has moved outside the Swan Valley, as he sometimes does, to source fruit for this cabernet sauvignon. It's a beautifully expressive wine that captures the region perfectly with the medium weight of the fruit and that subtle, very slight graphite and ironstone character. The aromas are bright, blackberry with a little even blue fruit influence. Seamlessly structured and integrated...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An excellent cabernet from this warm year that's been sourced from Frankland River. Blackcurrant and blackberry notes on the nose with a little dark cherry character, with a dollop of dark chocolate richness. Palate is seamlessly constructed with tremendous power and energy. Fruits are wrapped with a neat influence from the chalky, minerally tannins, and gently infused oak. Has a...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2022 vintage was one that produced some very expressive and powerful statements of Margaret River cabernet. And this one delivers it all. Black fruits, a little leaf, black olive on the nose, with a trace of subtle raspberry red fruits. Palate is seamlessly integrated with the fine tannins and oak, delivered with real polish. Effortless and stylish through to...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

I had to do a double take to check the vintage when I saw this wine. So it's now six years old and it's really benefited from that extra time in bottle. This was in the COVID year, which you might remember was quite warm and very early, but produced wines of intensity and power. The extra time in bottle...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This sits on the very top shelf of the best Art Series cabernets released by Leeuwin. Of course, the season was marvellous, being slightly cooler and quite long, and it certainly suited this slightly more southern vineyard. It's allowed good, slow, well-developed ripening without going over the top. And it's contributed to a wine of real varietal energy and definition....

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the prettiest and most complete of any Prelude to date. This has fully ripe blackcurrant, leafy bay leaf, and black olive fruit with a fine, chalky tannin thread. It’s a most elegant and stylish wine, but there is structure and poise. This is largely cabernet, but there's a small portion of malbec, which I think brings that lifted...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Plenty of varietal character and poise in this cabernet sauvignon. A mix of black fruits and subtle ironstone on the nose, with a little chocolatey bay leaf character. The palate is generous and slightly medium-bodied, but there's stacks in there, with a tight inner core of tannin and oak wrapped by that almost fleshy black fruit richness of these old-vine...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Like the shiraz off this vineyard, these vines are now more than 50 years old, and they play a fundamental role in the style and quality of Alkoomi cabernet. This captures the region quite perfectly. There's a light, lovely varietal purity, with a combination of blackcurrant and blackberry on the nose, some ironstone, ferruginous subtleties, and a subtle leafy lift....

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is largely hand-picked, estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bordeaux clones, but then it has smaller components of Merlot and Petit Verdot. It's hand-held all the way, Cabernet, and like the Merlot, it also receives two years in French oak. And yet this is anything but an oaky wine. It's perfectly balanced, with good fruit intensity and concentration, lots of...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The '21 vintage in Margaret River often receives some negativity, and it is an example of a wine that is now just five years old showing what could be achieved in the season. It's really come together quite beautifully, more in the medium-bodied zone. With leafy, dark blackcurrant and black olive nuances on the nose, and a little bay leaf...

Mount Barker

Cabernet Sauvignon

This comes from a 1974 planting of Houghton clone vines and spent 18 months in French oak, about 40% of which was new. This is a cracking good cabernet sauvignon, capturing everything you expect from the variety. The nose reveals blackcurrant, black olive and a dollop of dark chocolate. The palate is firm with terrific structure, defined by fine tannins,...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A classically defined Margaret River cabernet sauvignon with tremendous concentration, structure and purpose. Aromas of blackcurrant combine with oyster shell minerality, subtle bay leaf and black olive. The palate introduces richer chocolate notes that weave through the dark fruit, supported by a firm framework of tannin and seamlessly integrated oak. A gentle leafy character adds further complexity. Powerful, poised and...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Another wine that demonstrates just how good the 2024 Margaret River vintage could be. It was a warm season, but the extended summer allowed cabernet sauvignon to ripen beautifully. Aromas of blackcurrant, bay leaf and dark chocolate are unmistakably varietal. The palate is deeply concentrated yet velvety and seamless, supported by finely controlled tannins and perfectly judged oak. A first-rate...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

There is real class and polish here. It’s such an elegantly refined expression of Margaret River. Effortless is a word that comes to mind when describing the power yet stylishness of the palate. Dark fruits on the nose with a blackcurrant and ripe plum character merging with a mass of dark chocolate and edgy balancing black olive. A trace of...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine which honours Dr John Gladstones, one of the greatest and most important people in the WA wine industry. A most elegant expression of this wine, which seems to indicate an approach to introduce more elegance and control. Minerally and slightly leafy blackcurrant on the nose with other notes of dark chocolate and light plum. The palate sings a...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

While there are stylistic similarities with the previous vintage, this is a prettier and if anything, more delicate expression. Yet, there is ample engine room power here. It’s so bright and alive with energy from the first take on the nose through to the perfectly balanced and weighted medium bodied palate. Love the powdery tannins and super-fine-grained oak use. “Jack”...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a lovely wine and certainly delivers great value. The dominant cabernet has been supported with a little petit verdot, cab franc, and malbec. And the oak was kept to about 15% new. It all heightens the varietal aromatics of floral, black currant, with some subtle plummy influences and a light edge of bay leaf. The palate is quite...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

These old dry-grown vines are producing some excellent fruit. And the balance they achieve is an important part of the wine, especially in years that were so hot, like 2024. The result is a cabernet that's structured with a firm core but with an elegance and refinement that captures those vines so well. There's a leafy blackcurrant, a slightly bay...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Captures this beautiful cooler vintage exceptionally well. It’s remarkable how a little extra time in bottle has brought this wine together so perfectly. Aromas of leafy blackcurrant and dark plum lead into a palate that is seamless and velvety smooth, yet with the structure and textural feel that sets it apart. The 10% petit verdot has played an important role...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Plenty of punch and intensity in this cabernet sauvignon-dominant blend, given extra complexity by small additions of malbec and petit verdot. Around 20% new oak has been used, an impressive inclusion at this price. Black currant and plum aromas are supported by lightly toasty oak. The palate is generous with ripe blackcurrant fruit, while the firmer tannins, typical of the...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A mighty challenge to follow the stellar 2022 and 2023 releases under this label, yet this comes remarkably close. It ticks every box for quality cabernet sauvignon. As has become the house style, there's wonderful elegance, poise and structure. Black currant, bay leaf, black olive and subtle oyster shell minerality create a compelling and complex aromatic opening. The sleek palate...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

It's a marvellous wine from a marvellous vintage. It's medium to full-bodied, but it's deeply concentrated with powerful blackcurrant, bay leaf, and a little olive tapenade complexity. The aroma lifts from the glass with beautiful floral aromatics. The palate is controlled, neatly integrated with fine chalky tannins, and well-managed oak holding the line, carrying it through to a sustained finish....

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A thoroughly brilliant example of the ’23 vintage in Wilyabrup. The unmistakable aromas of blackcurrant with a lift of violets, crushed berries and oodles of dark, syrupy chocolate spell out Wilyabrup. The palate is medium-bodied, but my oh my, there is some deep, concentrated fruit here. It’s brilliant and bright with a firm thread of chalky tannins and precisely integrated...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine that beautifully combines power with refinement. Predominantly cabernet sauvignon, it's complemented by smaller portions of merlot, cabernet franc and malbec. Aromas of blackcurrant, olive tapenade and a subtle bay leaf lift lead into a palate seamlessly woven with fine chalky tannins and well-judged oak supporting the concentrated fruit. It has plenty of power, yet maintains an elegant medium-bodied...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet sauvignon was the wine that put Cape Mentelle on the map and went a long way towards cementing Margaret River in the global wine psyche. This is clearly one of the finest examples produced since those early wines of the late 1970s. It captures the variety beautifully, with aromas of cedary blackcurrant, light bay leaf, and subtle olive tapenade....

Mount Barker

Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a very warm year, and yet vineyards like this one produced some high-quality fruit. Loaded with black fruits, floral notes and a slightly spicy character evident initially on the nose. The palate is generous but medium-bodied, with good depth of flavour and a sustained, long finish. A subtle mix of blackcurrant and olive tapenade on the finish adds...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The '23 vintage was another excellent year for cabernet sauvignon in Margaret River, producing wines of great depth and structure. This wine shows classic varietal characters of blackcurrant, cassis and a touch of mint, with a subtle influence of French oak adding complexity and finesse. The palate is full-bodied, with fine, integrated tannins and a long, elegant finish. A wine...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Yet another outstanding wine from this great vintage. Typical of the year, it's a wine of medium to full body but with incredible depth and intensity. Loads of leafy blackcurrant on the nose with slight olive tapenade nuances. The palate then harnesses it all with slightly chalky tannins and well-integrated oak. It has structure and poise with a precisely focused...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Another exquisite example of the wonderful wines from the '23 Margaret River vintage. Highly perfumed aromas of black currant, violet, and red-berry nuances. The palate is so seamlessly integrated, with a sublime merging of fruit, oak, and tannin that creates a harmonious whole. There's an effortless poise to the wine that drives through to a long, quite beautiful finish, a...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

You certainly know you're in the Margaret River zone from the first take on the nose. Lifted black currant, light cedar, and a subtle bay-leaf nuance. The palate is medium weight but with beautifully poised, balanced fruit and oak working seamlessly together. The tannins are quite fine and chalky, making for a very complete package: a quality wine presented with...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This comes from the Treeton and Jolliffe vineyards. They are in barrels that work for this style rather than being inferior. The aroma has a minerally chalky character. It's a slightly different expression of Margaret River cabernet with some more blue fruits. It has a fair time on skins to build texture, aromatics and length. The colour is brilliant and...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This comes from a dry- grown vineyard on Pusy Road. Fermented in open pot fermenters, hand plunged, and an extended maceration to provide length and elegance with fine tannin. Had eight months in oak and some in a terracotta egg and some in ceramic. It also gets about 40% new oak. This is a beautiful wine of poise and elegance...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A generous but medium-bodied cabernet. From a vintage which turned out to be excellent, especially for these reds. The nose is a beautiful mix of black currant and spicy leafy notes. The palate has a deliciously rich, chocolatey black currant flavour, backed up with some fine tannin threads and well-weighted oak. Has good structure and intensity and captures cabernet nicely,...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

I've tasted some truly wonderful cabernets from Xanadu under this label over many years, but I have to say I've tasted none better than this. It is a simply wonderful example of Margaret River delivered with poise, power, and a certain panache. Captures the vintage well with the power and yet subtle restraint that it's best known for. It's medium...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

A generous but medium-bodied cabernet. From a vintage which turned out to be excellent, especially for these reds. The nose is a beautiful mix of black currant and spicy leafy notes. The palate has a deliciously rich, chocolatey black currant flavour, backed up with some fine tannin threads and well-weighted oak. Has good structure and intensity and captures cabernet nicely,...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is another of the wines I awaited with some degree of expectation, and like pretty much every cabernet out of twenty-three, it has not failed to deliver. It has exceeded my expectations. It's a blend of 92% cabernet, with equal proportions of malbec and petit verdot, and comes from a number of different vineyard areas, including Wilyabrup, Wallcliffe, and...

Margaret River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Yet another sublime example of the incredible quality that emerged from the 2023 vintage. This is a blend of 88% cabernet and 12% malbec from the southern Margaret River vineyard. The aroma is a mix of blackberry and redcurrant, with lifted floral notes and a subtle oyster shell minerality. The palate is bright and medium-bodied, but with tremendous depth, intensity,...

Great Southern

Cabernet Sauvignon

What a marvellous expression of Frankland River cabernet in this stunning year. There’s power here, evident initially on the nose with that mix of blackcurrant, tobacco leaf and a subtle regional ironstone minerality. The palate is exquisitely brought together with fine oak integration, working with the medium to full-bodied fruit and supported by fine chalky tannins. It’s elegant, stylish and...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a warm to hot vintage throughout Western Australia, but the slightly cooler Frankland River region has tempered the heat, resulting in wines of impressive quality. This is certainly a powerful and expressive cabernet from the season. The colour is deep red and the aromas show a distinct blackcurrant and plummy character with a lift of leafy, cherry-like notes....