Top 10 Aussie Cabernet Under £25

95 Points - James Halliday "From Wilyabrup, hand-picked, berry sorted, wild yeast open-fermented, up to 6 weeks on skins, matured for 15 months in French oak (66% new). The difference between this and its Great Southern sibling is profound. The colour is a slightly different shade, but it's the bouquet and the wine in the mouth that march to the tune of their own drum. This is more textured, and more nuanced in its palette. The corollary is the obvious question - is the Great Southern more pure?"

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James Halliday "70/30%, fermented separately in open-fermenters, the cabernet remaining on skins for 17 days, the touriga for 9 days, matured in French oak (20% new) for 24 months, plus a further 24 months bottle age. Stuart Pym has got his teeth into this bone, and isn't about to let go. It's got flavour, texture, structure, a point of difference - what it doesn't have is the finesse or logic of his other wines."

Winemaker Notes - "Originally just a Shiraz / Malbec blend, we added Cabernet Sauvignon to this wine to give greater textural diversity. The grapes are sourced from the same vineyards every year, fully and gently de-stemmed, hand plunged and basket pressed. The wine is then matured for up to 23 months in older French and American oak barriques, hogsheads, and large format vats, as well as some concrete vats for added complexity. Yellow Hammer Hill is a wonderful all round red wine to be enjoyed with almost any occasion."

Our full tasting note coming soon...

95 Points - Joe Czerwinski (RobertParker.com) "Prettier and more aromatic than the very good 2015, the 2016 Cuthbert Cabernet Sauvignon hints at violets and mint on the nose and adds hints of cherries to the cassis fruit. Medium to full-bodied, it's supple, almost silky on the palate, with a finish that's simultaneously mouthwatering and firmly tannic. It should drink well for at least a decade."

Winemaker Notes - "We think of this wine as the sister to Springflat Shiraz, yet its Cabernet Sauvignon. Luscious and textural, Ducks & Drakes delivers all the classic Cabernet Sauvignon characters in a very “Heathcote” style. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from two distinct vineyards each year. Full bodied, luscious and driven, just as Heathcote Cabernet should be. The grapes are fully de-stemmed, then fermented in open fermenters, gently hand plunged and pumped over to soften tannins, then basket pressed into French and American oak hogsheads and puncheons, 40% of which are new. A wine that can be carefully cellared for up to 15 years."

Our full tasting note coming soon...

 Vinorium Award - 2019 Best Value Wine of the Year: Bronze

97 Points - Stuart McCloskey “A heavenly nose of cassis, plum, soy, graphite and lots of mineralite at play here. With time, cedar / pencil box aromatics unfold. The palate speaks more of finesse than power. Incredibly complex and not overly tannic. The entry is sweet, ambitious with ripe, silky black fruits. Texturally, and impossible to miss, is the sense of finesse and grace which weaves its magic and is seldom seen in the Barossa. Cedar and graphite-infused fruit emerge but I keep coming back to the wines beguiling poise. Svelte and sensuous with a little wood dust which adds a lovely texture. The finish seems endless – clove and fennel seed leading to orange peel? I could go on, but I must stop. In short, this is a brilliant and uncompromising Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon. Think expensive Bordeaux Second-Growth and you’ll be right on the money”. Served in Zalto Bordeaux glass.

Winemaker "Vibrant, unmistakably Coonawarra to smell and taste, bursting with flavours of blackcurrant, mulberry and herbs, and fine, elegant and juicy in the mouth. The wine is quite low in oak, with just a smidge of vanillin showing faintly on the mid palate, but otherwise the brambly, blackcurrant flavours demand all the attention. Fine silky tannins integrate with the fruit and minimal oak treatment to produce an approachable well rounded wine with an extended length."

Royal Hobart Wine Show 2019 Gold Medal & 1 Trophy 

Royal Perth Wine Awards 2019 Gold Medal & 1 Trophy

  Royal Sydney Wine Show 2019 Gold Medal & 1 Trophy 

98 Points - James Halliday "An impressive wine all round. All the major attributes are turned up in volume as well as in contrast. Vibrant dark colour, ripe black fruits, plums, cedar, bay leaf, fine chalky tannins plus length. But the most important attribute is the key to all fine wine: balance. Everything is in balance, despite the high volume. Super wine."

palate: The palate is flush with mulberry and blackberry fruit, framed by fine chalky tannins. This medium-bodied blend is finely poised and shows great balance and impressive length.