Overview

First made in 1982, the John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon was conceived as a flagship wine for Wynns. John Riddoch himself was a true visionary. Amongst his many achievements are the building of the Wynns Gabled winery and the establishment of Coonawarra Fruit Colony

John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon is made in small quantities from the best available fruit grown on the estate's extensive Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in the heart of the terra rossa soil. It has become a definitive Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, made only in years when grapes of extraordinarily high quality are available, using less than one percent of the top-quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes

Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage	2018
Country	Australia
Region	Coonawarra
Volume	750 mL
Closure	Screw Cap
Alc/Vol	14%
Winemaker	Sarah Pidgeon

Taste Description

Nose

A fresh and inviting aroma of red and black cherries. Dried mint and fresh violets add florals.

Flavours and Palate

This is a wine of great freshness balance and power that will certainly reward good cellaring. A seamless line of perfectly ripe fruit is supported by a fine tannin framework

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Awards and Accolades

99 Points

Andrew Caillard MW

98 Points

Tony Love

98 Points

Angus Hughson

98 Points

Huon Hooke

98 Points

Ray Jordan

98 Points

Ken Gargett

97 Points

Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

97 Points

Decanter

96 Points

Jeni Port

Bronze

2022 International Wine and Spirit Competition

"Deep crimson. A wonderfully evocative wine. Fragrant pure blackcurrant, dark cherry aromas with integrated praline mocha, roasted chestnut notes and touches of sage and violet. Beautifully concentrated wine with voluminous blackcurrant, dark cherry, mulberry fruits, plentiful fine grainy al dente tannins, superb dark chocolate, mocha, espresso complexity and underlying chinotto sage notes. Finishes grainy/ cedar firm with pure cassis, kirsch notes and a plume of extract. Elegant, powerful and expansive with the structure and balance for long term aging; the fruit, tannin, oak and acidity are beautifully integrated." - Andrew Caillard MW

"Oh my, this is such a good wine – as good as any that have been released under this label. It is remarkable that a wine of such finesse and refinement should also have such power and drive. But that’s Coonawarra in a good year, managed with first rate winemaking after the viticulturist has delivered the fruit. Has a slightly liqueur cherry aroma with cool leaf and tobacco leaf nuances. The palate is sublime with the fine weave of tannin, fine grained oak and silky-smooth fruit. As you might expect it is still a little shy and closed but decanting will give you a glimpse of what it will become." - Ray Jordan

"With a very deep, brooding purple/red Colour, it has a remarkably complex, savoury bouquet of beautifully integrated fruit and oak, very ripe cabernet aromas with no leafy herbal accents and lots of dark fruit, blackberry and cassis interwined with cedar, smoky bacon and graphite nuances. Almost decadenly rich and fleshy, it's full-bodied and loaded with extract, the abundant tannins supple and suberbly knitted into the fabric of the wine. A glorious cabernet." - Huon Hooke

Viticulture

Vintage Conditions

Winter and Spring rainfall was excellent at 20% above long-term averages. Soil moisture was replenished, and the limestone aquifers recharged. Winter was cold, delivering good vine dormancy. Summer was warm, and therefore advanced veraison (colour change) by two weeks to the end of January. A strong coastal upwelling in the waters of the Limestone Coast cooled March temperatures and extended the ripening period. Therefore, Wynns Cabernet was harvested in line with long term harvest dates, predominantly from the last week of March through the first two weeks of April. Vintage 2018 was a very warm summer followed by a cool autumn for ripening