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Description
Six kick-ass members of Cabernet’s extended family for all over the country that prove that Cabernet can still be cool.
- 2023 Bloody Hill Villages Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2021 Dalla Mia Finestra Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2020 Blue Poles Allouran Merlot Cabernet Franc
- 2022 Nocturne SR Cabernets
- 2022 Renzaglia Cabernets di Renzo
- 2023 Murdoch Hill Vis-a-Vis Cabernet Franc
2023 Bloody Hill Villages Cabernet Sauvignon
Beautifully fresh and supple Cabernet from Timo's son Rivar, and wonderful value again in the Bloody Hill Villages range.
Made at the family winery the fruit is sourced from the Coldstream sub-region. Hand-picked, wild fermented and matured in old oak for just six months.
Very pure fruited, with blackcurrant leaf and cassis dominating. Gracefully mid-weight with real palate lift.
Cracking Cabernet for early drinking..(maybe not early morning though).
95 points
"If you could grow cabernet in Beaujolais, this is what it would smell like. Fragrant with ripe raspberries, blackcurrant pastilles and spices. Juicy on the palate, with light, grippy tannins making this a delicious wine to drink, ever so slightly chilled, on a warm night with food."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)
93 points
"The more I tasted, the more I liked and then loved. Ripper drinking. One of those ‘wow wines’ for the bucks."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2021 Dalla Mia Finestra Cabernet Sauvignon
There is something of a golden patch for Cabernet in the Lower Yarra.
This is where the likes of Mount Mary and Yeringberg have forged their reputations for producing some of the country's finest Cabernets and Cabernet blends.
At the bottom of the Yeringberg slope, a stone's throw from that legendary vineyard, sits the little family property of Bruce Lang. He's a man who quietly tends his grapes, Cabernet mainly, but with patches of Malbec, Shiraz and Pinot Noir in the ground.
He makes his wine with a hodgepodge of equipment, everything done by hand. The wines he makes, without fanfare, seriously over deliver.
The Cabernet is smoking value if you love the mid-weight Claret styles the Yarra has become adored for.
95 points
"The first Finestra cab to include 5% of merlot/malbec/cabernet franc. A very bright crimson red. A perfumed and youthful bouquet of dark cherries, blackcurrant, damson plums and violets. Gently leafy and equally good on the medium-bodied palate, which is juicy, yet compact with fine grained, persistent tannins rounding out a lovely wine. It's not the first Finestra wine I've tasted recently that has over delivered at this modest pricepoint, either."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)
95 points
"Red and black fruits, baking spice, plenty of perfume, violet and pencils, and gee it’s a beautiful smelling wine, and there’s a slight varietal roast red capsicum/pimento thing that adds rather than detracts. It’s medium-bodied, plenty of fleshy tannin grip, acidity is bright and crisp, and the finish is long and gently chewy, with tobacco and floral perfume trailing. Essence of YV Cabernet. It’s such a strong release, and best since the 2017. I’m thinking either 94 or 95 points, though the longer I spend time with it, the more it pushes me towards the higher score. Incredible value for a wine of this class and provenance too."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2020 Blue Poles Allouran Merlot Cabernet Franc
When you think of Blue Poles you think of the Allouran, and this is a top shelf release of this much-loved wine.
The classic blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc is one song in this release - the latter adding structure and perfume to the plump, juicy goodness of Merlot.
Alongside some of its more ambitiously priced Margaret River counterparts, the Allouran is phenomenal value for money.
This wine sells out quicker and quicker each year. Act quickly if you want some for yourself.
2022 Nocturne SR Cabernets
The SR Cabernets is a welcome addition to the Nocturne family.
It's made as a fleshier, more slurpable style of Margaret River Cabernet blend, built for drinking while you wait for the excellent Nocturne Single Vineyard Cabernet to mature.
The fruit comes from Yallingup, the Margaret River sub-region that Julian Langworthy believes makes some of the best Cabernet blends in the world.
The Cabernet component comes from their beloved Sheoak vineyard (the source of their SV Cabernet) and it's blended with small portions of Merlot and Malbec from the neighbouring vineyard farmed by the Simpsons.
It's a top-value Cabernet blend from this dynamic label. Easy drinking at a great price.
94 points
"It’s a wine of interest and impact, and mainly, I just enjoy that it’s a pretty serious Cabernet for not a lot of money."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2022 Renzaglia Cabernets di Renzo
The Cabernet di Renzo is an early-drinking Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Orange, Bathurst, and O’Connell.
Predominantly Cabernet Franc from the Boreelane vineyard, owned by Phillip Shaw, fermented with a small portion of whole bunches and held on skins for about a month before aging in old oak. The Cabernet component comes from Canobolas Wines and Merlot from the Carillion Vineyard, co-fermented with Cabernet Sauvignon from Gordon Hills, managed by Gilbert Family Wines and Nick Lander.
Adding depth to the blend are Cabernet and Merlot from Bella Luna, fermented as whole berries and aged in old oak. This meticulous crafting process highlights the essence of each vineyard, resulting in a harmonious and expressive wine.
Lovely drinking from the talented Sam Renzaglia.
91 points
"Very appealing, medium-bodied red with vibrant perfume. Good chewy aftertaste with medium tannin."
- Kasia Sobiesiak (The Wine Front)
2023 Murdoch Hill Vis-a-Vis Cabernet Franc
This wine was made as a tip of a cap to the energetic, mid-weight red wines of the Loire Valley.
Michael Downer has been making big moves over the last few years looking for more drinkability in his reds wines. Keeping them fresh and light on their feet. This fits nicely into that brief.
It's Cabernet Franc made to be drunk in any weather, even with a chill if you like. Loads of sweet berries and a lilting floral perfume. It's a sublime Loire-inspired red wine that's sure to be a huge crowd pleaser.
