Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Leeuwin's characteristic elegance and approachability, combined with ageability, are in full force here. Trademark pencil lead, eucalyptus and red currant characters mingle with dried flowers, herbs and furniture polish. The tannins are dusty and tight-grained, with an herbaceous currant flavor continuing throughout. Drink now–2032.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
There's plenty of density and structure here, with a smooth, velvety quality to the notes of plum, blueberry and five-spice powder. Chai tea and graham cracker crust details linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2022.
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James Suckling
Lovely fresh assortment of fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants and blueberries, and just a hint of some herbs from beneath. Medium-bodied with such freshness and polish. Structured tannins, really zippy acidity and a chewy finish. Drink in 2020 when this softens.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.