Wynns Coonawarra John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (750ML)

96 DE / 95 JS / 95 JA / 94 WI

Bright and clear nose, so fresh and fragrant, smells amazingly inviting with perfumed raspberries, blackcurrants and black cherries with savoury olives, thyme, violets and liquorice. Concentrated yet graceful in terms of the silky smooth texture, the tannins glide across the palate, lifted by mouthwatering acidity but so full of flavour, depth and life. Definitely on the lighter, brighter side, not lean as such but really juicy, forward, energetic and ample, yet not heavy in the slightest. A slight undercurrent of sunshine, but there's such finesse and freshness. Generous and harmonious with focus. Tannins are at the fore, filling the mouth, but soft and plush, velvety with appealing plum, chalky slate and black pepper spice. There is so much to love about this, still youthful, but well worked, charming, lively and extremely drinkable. A joyful and truly elegant wine with soul. Ageing 17 months in French barriques and hogsheads, 23% new, 45% one year old and 32% two years old. Winemakers Sue Hodder and Sarah Pidgeon. 3.5pH. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

A lustrous deep crimson. The oak is a little fuzzy and unresolved, but this is a full-weighted wine built to go a considerable distance, despite the cooler, challenging conditions. It seems more gently extracted than usual as a result. The fruit is a bit sweet and the texture rounder. Sourced from just a single block. Mottled blue fruits, black pastille, mulberry, licorice strap and clove, with a fleck of tea tree across the finish. The tannins, gritty, chewy and nicely moreish, although with a cushy approachability. Best to wait. Drinkable now, but best from 2027. Screw cap. - James Suckling

Intense inky purple in colour, and these tannins are silky smooth. Opens with controlled delivery of juicy black cherry, cassis and damson, with plenty of estate signature, majoring on smoked earth and oyster shell salinity. The longer you sit with it, the more the underlying brightness of the fruit comes through, delivering in spades the blackcurrant pastille that is such a signature of Australian Cab. Cold flowering in Spring meant this was an extremely small crop, down as low as 2 tons per hectare instead of the usual 6, and the 2020 John Riddoch comes from a single vineyard (Child's Vineyard) because of the cooler-than-average season, with extremely old 19th century vines helping achieve this concentration and complexity. 23% new oak, Sue Hodder winemaker. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The single-varietal 2020 John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple in color. It gives up vivacious note of crushed black and red currants, black raspberries, and bay leaves with hints of pencil shavings and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate delivers bracing acidity, with plush tannins and vibrant black and red berry layers, finishing long and invigorating. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent