For many years a champion of premium Australian Cabernet Shiraz, Yalumba first created FDR as an elite quality wine to reward staff and to enter high end wine shows. Now available to us mere mortals, it is rich in black fruits and spice.

A lovely example of Margaret River Cabernet Merlot, Flametree Cabernet Merlot is showing big dense fruit characters of blackcurrant and stewed plums. A silky seamless palate with rich fruit concentration and chocolaty complexity. Matured in French oak barrels has softened and rounded this wine.

Oakridge are well known for their white wine styles, especially their Chardonnay, but don't forget the Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that can do so well. Lovely lifted spice; bright and attractive cassis fruit and layers of fine grained tannin will greet the drinker and will be welcomed by any serious Cabernet lover.

The 2010 Chateau d'Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, showing 'classic Margaux' in its perfume, finesse and apparent elegance. Soils are gravel and clay, which contributes to the high-tones of perfume from the wine, and though an estate that is neccesarily clawing its way back to a higher profile, is doing so with deeds in bottle over showmanship. On its side, the vineyard is dense with older vines that naturally offer lower yields, allowing for a higher quality of fruit for the winemaking team, in turn producing a wine of stellar quality from 2010.

The 2024 vintage delivered beautifully ripe, small-berried fruit. In the glass, it’s deeply coloured with heady aromas of red plum, raspberry, rose petal, and spice. The palate is silky and seductive on entry, building to a surprisingly long, structured finish.

Tasting Note: Deep garnet with crimson edges. Aromatically, blueberry, lavender, aniseed, and a flicker of black pepper. The palate is vivid and finely structured: lush fruit threaded with tannin and tension.

Pure Vision's Organic Merlot is an outstanding value Merlot, taking on bottle aged secondary flavours of poached plum and soft tannins, yet still vibrant and youthful in spirit. Delicious.

Established way back in 1893 by true regional pioneers, Kaesler has been reborn by winemaking vionary, Reid Bosward. The Cabernet Sauvignon has fresh cassis and herbal notes with the perfect amount of ripe tannin. To finish the package off, sublime length.

From one of Margaret River's best and original producers, Vasse Felix comes this excellent Cabernet Merlot blend has great concentration of blackcurrant fruit with cedary oak and fine tannins - a style with elegance and finesse rather than power.