A high quality wine from the first whiff of the bouquet through to the long finish...has a tapestry of flavours from the base of Cabernet...all supported by persistent but ripe tannins, the oak absorbed by the fruit. Winning the prestigious Decanter International Trophy, we snaffled as much of this wine as we could. Very limited.

Woodlands Cabernet Merlot is one of the regions best examples. The Watson brothers are the custodians of a family heritage in Margaret River that continues to this day. The Cabernet Merlot has attractive and complex aromas of dark berry and plum supported by well integrated vanillin oak. The palate shows similar characters with outstanding length of flavour and perfect balance. Drink now or cellar short term.

This wine shows the style of the vintage and quite likely the impact of the small crop. In such years, Cabernet Sauvignon in particular, has a complex but somewhat subdued nose, where the wine hints of the underlying power and complexity but takes years to reveal its true colours. So here we see smouldering red currant, black currant and mulberry, with a floral, violet lift, sitting over cedar and tar. On the palate there is concentration and length - dark fruits combining with firm tannin and leather and tarry notes.

Voyager Estate has quickly earned itself a seat at the head of the table in Australia when it comes to elegant, and classic Cabernet. Appealing aromas of ripe blackcurrant chocolate and that distinctive Margaret River forest floor character. The palate is powerful yet balanced with concentrated red berry fruits. The Voyager Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot is a magnificent wine to lay down for a decade or more and will repay the patient in spades.

Cape Mentelle's Cabernet Sauvignon under the guidance of Rob Mann has become one of Australia's most prestigious Cabernet's. Sourced from what many believe to be the true home to Cabernet in Australia, the Margaret River, Cape Mentelle produce a wine that has a plush full-flavoured palate of concentrated blackcurrants and mulberries with a minerally spine. Richly textured and vibrant the palate finishes long with fine yet firm gravelly tannins. A superb candidate for some medium to long term cellaring.

The bouquet shows great density, ripe concentrated blackcurrant, anise, black cardamom and lifted lavender with hints of black olives and plum aromas. The entry on the palate is soft and succulent whilst displaying a subtle texture with a black core of fruit including boysenberry, dark cherries and olive tapinade. The tannin and acid are seamlessly integrated from the front through to the long and lingering finish.

Cherubino Wines Cherubino Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River Winemaker Larry Cherubino of Cherubino wines has built a reputation for making superlative quality expressions of Western Australias trophy varieties. The namesake Cherubino Cabernet Sauvignon is a testament to his deft hand. Rich and redolentand one for the oak acolyteswe can see it rewarding for the next two decades or more in the cellar. Made with hand-harvested Margaret River fruit, the grapes undergo six weeks of maceration before being pressed to tank. Deep and intense dark berry and cherry aromas abound, with soft, silky tannins guiding the way. Shop Cherubino Wines >