2021 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Moss Wood, Margaret River

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is from a milder year in Margaret River, one that experienced plentiful and intermittent rain during the growing season. The wine in the glass today is eminently more black fruited than the 2022 tasted alongside; here, we see notes of clove, aniseed, violet, dark cocoa and blackberry fruit. The wine is elegant and refined and looks better today than it did on release. Everything here suggests it will continue to improve in bottle over time, justifying the "+" after the score.

This engaging 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon appeals with its subtlety rather than raw power. Dried herbs, clay and blackcurrant are finely intertwined with French oak. Firm and mid-weight with a strong core, the Wilyabrup gravels emerge in flavor and texture to drive a strong, tension-filled finish. There's a lovely overall flow and energy. The finish is lovely.

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Winemaker Keith Mugford. 52-year-old vineyard, on own rootstock. Sand and gravel loams over clay. Dry farmed. Minimal tillage and mulching to preserve soil structure. Predominantly north- and east-facing slopes. 1,518 vines/ha. All Houghton clone Cabernet Sauvignon. Picked 6–9 April. A mild season, 1.3 °C lower than average, with a long hang time of 134 days. Fermented in open-top steel tanks, no whole bunch. Hand-plunged 4 times per day, on skins for 14 days. 29 months in 228-litre French oak, 16% new. Filtered.Rather extraordinarily much more transparent than the 2001! There's something a little formulaic on the palate – the oak perhaps? Rather drying finish. Just a tad stringy – I wouldn’t mind more fruit. (JR)