Wynns

Wynns’ flagship Cabernet has risen to iconic status since its first release in 1982. Produced only in the best vintages and sourced from the top one percent of estate Cabernet fruit, the 2022 vintage clearly meets the mark. It’s a wine of both elegance and power, expressed through a classic Coonawarra lens. The nose opens with dusty cedar, forest mulch and old leather, woven through sweet-scented mulberry, dark cherry and blackcurrant juice. Beneath that lies a cool undercurrent of eucalyptus and rubbed mint. With air, further detail unfolds: graphite, black liquorice, tobacco leaf and dark earth, as the elegant blackcurrant fruit becomes more integrated and resolved. The palate plays a beautiful tension between lift and structure. Blackcurrant, mulberry and plum glide through the mouth with grace, supported by cedar, mocha, mint, dark chocolate and graphite. Tannins are firm and architectural, giving shape and persistence. What’s most striking is the fruit’s elegance – it’s lifted and buoyant, never heavy or ponderous. Still compact in its youth, this will unfold gracefully over decades in the cellar.

(2025) First made in 1982, John Riddoch is Wynns' flagship Cabernet Sauvignon. It is made only in the best years, from fruit grown in their vineyards on Coonawarra's famed Terra Rossa soils. This 2022 was matured for 17 months in French oak barriques and larger hogsheads, 43% of which were new. Deep, vibrant crimson-purple in colour, the nose is redolent of sweet spices, camphor and silky black fruits spanning glossy cherries to blackcurrants. In the mouth this has massive concentration, with a brooding and tightly-furled presence. Tannins are super-fine and coat the palate, while acidity tingles, but the fruit intensity builds through the middle. Sweetness of ripe fruit emerges with its supple and plush weight beginning to dominate. The wine has depth and richness, and its structure will ensure decades of cellaring potential. It is approachable now, though perhaps decant and match to red meat or other charry and spicy protein. This wine will be distributed via 'La Place' in Bordeaux from September 2025.