Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Love the aromas of fresh mushrooms, flowers and currants. Pops out of the glass. Full body, very tight in the center palate but that takes off at the finish. Tangy and vivid acidity gives focus and life to this wine. What a wine. A blend of 77% cabernet sauvignon, 16% malbec and 7% petit verdot. Screw cap. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
This vintage, VF's flagship red is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec and 7% Petit Verdot. Although it's full-bodied and lush, it's by no means the world's biggest or ripest Cabernet blend. Instead, it's impeccably balanced and gentle, serving up cassis, vanilla and a touch of baking spices in generous swirls that reach a crescendo on the long finish. Drink now–2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to Depp garnet-purple coloured, the 2012 Heytesbury has an earthy nose of black loam, tree bark, iron ore and truffles over a Blackberry and cassis core with black pepper, cigar box and cinnamon stick hints. Medium to full bodied, it it just starting to evolve into complex, aged Cabernet flavors with sandalwood and incense hints framed by firm tannins and a lively backbone, finishing Long. Rating:92(+) Points
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Wine Spectator
Lively, with mint-scented cherry and raspberry fruit and fresh mineral and earth accents. The tannins are polished and sleek, lingering with a touch of vanilla and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2028.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.