58/42% cabernet sauvignon/shiraz at 12.5% alcohol. What? How can that be, with no green edges to the cabernet? This and the V&A Lane shiraz are treated with kid gloves by winemaker Sarah Pidgeon – in the vineyard and winery. These parcels are co-fermented, 2 varieties that usually ripen at different times, so you really need to know your site. Taking inspiration from the lighter clarets made in the 1950s and ‘60s, this modern version's beat is all savoury, with juniper, licorice root and fennel. It's medium bodied (just) and the tannins are gossamer-fine, yet spun together to a gentle hold. Compelling wine.
95 points, Wine Companion (February 2021)
Deep red/purple colour, with a crushed leaf and berry, clearly cabernet-driven bouquet in which oak is barely evident at all: the fruit does most of the talking. Fine texture and elegance. The tannins are gently stated, with a subtle emery-like quality. A couple more years should see this really start to sing.
93 points, The Real Review (September 2021)
This wine is sourced from vineyards along V & A Lane , the cabernet having gone into many of Wynns’ top wines over the years while the shiraz is proven by the quality of its sibling varietal iteration. Together they strike up a close bond that is almost secretive in the glass and needs teasing out with time and patience. The blend is synergistic rather than being a twosome, mint notes typical of the region adding their own sheen to the wine’s personality. Give this time, in a decanter now or the cellar for 5-10 years and more.
94 points, Wine Pilot
The fruit for this blended combo is picked to conform to a particular style that is V&A Lane. The two varieties picked and then co-fermented on the same day. If proof were needed that this is a combination made in Heaven, then here it is. The dark fruits merge perfectly with blackcurrant, a hint of glazed orange zest and bright plummy flavours. Love the tannins which have that Coonawarra chalky limestone that weaves seamlessly and with great support through the medium weight palate.
95 points, Wine Pilot
Cabernet certainly is taking the lead here in more ways than one. The grape represents 58% of the blend and was co-fermented with its partner which might explain the warm relationship enjoyed which allows cabernet to roam a little further out, exploring and taking as its own some lovely and more immediate fruit territory. Blackcurrant, vanilla, leafy herbals, earth, leather combine. That shiraz tannin back beat so evident in the V & A Lane shiraz then comes into play, not loudly but the accent is there directing a firm tannic structure.
95 points, Wine Pilot
Coonawarra
The first vines were planted in Coonawarra by John Riddoch in 1890, however it was not until the renewed interest in table wine production in the 1950's that Coonawarra was brought into the limelight. Located almost 380 km southeast of Adelaide, Coonawarra is today one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia. Its weathered limestone terra rossa soils, avaibility of water and relatively cool maritime climate make it a unique viticultural region. Extremely flat and unprotected, Coonawarra is exposed both to the swinging influences of the cool Great Southern Ocean and hot, dry northerly winds. Spring frosts also pose a major threat with the potential to wipe out entire crops. Mechanical harvesting is widely employed in the region although smaller producers prefer to tend their vines by hand. Coonawarra is best known for classically-styled Cabernet Sauvignon, although in good years, Shiraz from the region is also very compelling.
