John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

New Release

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	2020
Country	Australia
Region	Coonawarra
Volume	750 mL
Closure	Screw Cap
Alc/Vol	13.5%
Winemaker	Sue Hodder & Sarah Pidgeon

Taste Description

Nose

Notably lifted and intense aromatics. Black olive, raspberry, dried bayleaf, musky notes/red licorice, blue flower/violets; brambles or crushed raspberry leaf. Initially subdue but opens up gradually.

Flavours and Palate

Medium bodied with balanced powdery tannins.
The fruit will grow into the frame in a short time. Baked Plum cake and gentle spices, light pastry notes, green olive. Rhubarb, roasted cherry flavours are persistent on the palate. The fruit is concentrated but not heavy. A wine of poise and elegance.
The 2020 John Riddoch Cabernet will age gracefully in line with heritage and quality.

Download Tasting Notes (PDF 102 KB)

Awards and Accolades

97 Points

Huon Hooke, The Real Review

96 Points

Campbell Mattinson, Wine Companion

95 Points

Andrew Caillard MW, Wine Pilot

95 Points

Ned Goodwin MW, James Suckling

94 Points

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

Huon Hooke

"Impressively dense, dark, glass-staining colour with a strong tint of purple. Concentrated and superripe blackberry aromas, bright and intense and beautifully ripe with minimal herbal accents. Nuances of tar and licorice as well. It's full bodied and rich, concentrated and ample, with lashings of supple, fine-grained tannins and a long carry. A powerful wine but one that glides across the palate effortlessly. A beautiful and long-term cabernet."

Campbell Mattinson

"The combination of both elegance and command here is quite astonishing. This isn't a big wine and yet it still somehow manages to lay down the law. It tastes of blackcurrant, redcurrant, bay leaf and dried tobacco, though it's the swagger of (integrated) tannin and the gentle infusion of gravel-like notes that really take it up a gear. This is a wonderful wine."

Ned Goodwin MW

"A lustrous deep crimson. The oak is a little fuzzy and unresolved, but this is a full weighted wine built to go a considerable distance, despite the cooler, challenging conditions. It seems more gently extracted than usual as a result. The fruit is a bit sweet and the texture rounder. Sourced from just a single block. Mottled blue fruits, black pastille, mulberry, licorise strap and clove, with a fleck of tea tree across the finish. The tannins, gritty, chewy and nicely moreish, although a cushy approachability. Best to wait. Drinkable now, but best from 2027."

Viticulture

Vintage Conditions

To set up the 2020 Coonawarra vintage, good rainfall fell during winter and spring. The terra rossa soil profiles were full for budburst, with some limestone aquifer replacement taking place. Early growing season rainfall from budburst to flowering was moderate, in line with long term average. Despite the good rains, the cold southerly winds at the delicate flowering and set phase were not good for fruit set. Consequently, low yields resulted. Hot weather in December was the exception in an otherwise mild year.