2016 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch

The classic Cabernet Sauvignon John Riddoch from 2016 is so pretty but don’t be deceived as it is also built to last. Beautifully bright and fragrant, there is impeccable fruit purity with graphite, cassis and leafy aromas underpinned by fine French oak. It then builds layers of cassis and gravel flavour with fantastic fruit composure and focus which drives a long, engaging finish. Truly seamless, this beautiful combination of subtlety, concentration and structure is impressive to drink now but will get so much better over the next two decades.

These John Riddoch wines are, with each passing year, more approachable, more supple and more lithe on release. Coonawarra has a reputation in Australia for producing extraordinarily long-lived Cabernet Sauvignons, which are not necessarily approachable early. Well. These modern wines buck that trend. The refined oak program has actually done something to support the fruit and elevate it rather than weigh it down—a result of many years of research and work by the Wynns team, particularly winemaker Sarah Pigeon. So, to the wine. This 2016 John Riddoch Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon offers five spice, mulberry, raspberry salted licorice, clove, tobacco leaf, a hint of nag champa tobacco, jasmine tea and brilliant length—I wrote the note off the length. These wines should be measured by their balance, and their ability to age. In this case, also by its beauty as a young wine. Drink it now, but you're better served by exercising a little patience and drinking from 2026 through to the late 2040s and beyond.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bottled under screwcap. A warm spring with early flowering, veraison and harvest. A warmer than average growing season for Coonawarra leading to fuller wines. Deep ruby colour. Fresh Cabernet and plum fruit on the nose. This is squeaky clean  – all about purity and freshness. The palate follows in fruit, with some very finely etched and bright acidity. Everything is in excellent proportion, with a long, clean finish. My only issue is that this is so precise it lacks a little personality. Perhaps that will come with time! (TP)