"The most consistent performer in the Wendouree range is in great form in 2018. Co-fermented blend of 60% cabernet sauvigon and 40% malbec from 1975, 1971 and 1920 plantings. This arrives with a wealth of savory coal smoke, dried herbs, brick dust, tarry accents and very strongly cabernet aromas, laced with savory complexity. Some redcurrants and red plums, too. Nebbiolo-like detail of fragrance and tannin. The palate has a sleeve of boysenberry, redcurrant, red-plum and cherry flavors with a very lively, lithe and athletic feel. Rich and mouthwateringly intense, it delivers with energetic vertical expansiveness and great length. The tautness of tannin and fine-layered structure is so impressive. A dusting of cocoa and dark chocolate right at the finish. Elegant, yet super powerful. Best from 2024 with a solid two decades and more in the tank."
99 Points
Jamessuckling.com
"Most often my favourite wine from Wendouree, and why people run for the Shiraz, when the Clare Valley is very clearly a Cabernet (and Malbec) region for reds, is quite beyond me. But I say this every year, though I feel it’s worth saying, every year.
Violets and cassis, Aussie bush in earth, bark, pepper and eucalyptus characters, plummy fruit too, beautifully formed and rippling with fine tannin. Excellent length, poise and form, a shapely wine of intensity, minerality and firm texture. Perhaps just that little bit raw? An additional firmness. Anyway, this is a delight and its form and freshness hold it in excellent stead for the future."
95+ Points
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
"Blackberry, a little tar and earth, violet and leaf. Full-bodied, dark chocolate and tobacco, some orange zest character, tannin a little chalky and rugged, but has a ‘mineral’ feel, and plenty of depth. Length is good too. It’s a very good, if not stellar release of this benchmark wine. It doesn’t have the sweeping ferrous tannin and brooding depth of some years, but does have charm and crisp appeal."
95+ Points
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front