2025 'Countryside' Cabernet Sauvignon

Countryside Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that reflects the Clare Valley countryside – think the Aussie outback, dusty, gumtree’s, beautiful and laid back.

The season was hot and dry. Cab Sav thrived, the vines just did their thing, they were not stressed at all, the yields were slightly down but the fruit quality is amazing!

Bright blue berries and black current on the nose, very aromatic and lifted! The pallet is bright, fresh and fruit forward. The wine was matured in 2000L slavonian oak barrels but you do not see the oak, it has just built savoury structure in the wine. Soft tannin makes for the ultimate luncheon claret!

Vineyard: Gullyview Vineyard, Watervale
Varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Blocks: G9
Planted: 2014
Soil type: Terra Rossa, red clay on limestone
Picking date: February 14th, 2025
Picking method: Machine Harvested
Time on skins: 2 weeks
Processing: Destemmed with crusher off, retain 50% whole berry.
Pressing: Free run and pressings combined
Cooling / settling: Cold settled off gross lees for 7 days
Fermentation: Open head stainless steel for weeks 2 weeks, pump overs twice a day
Aging vessel: Slavonian oak 2000L foudre for 11 months.
Filtration: Crossflow
Fining: No
Alc: 13.2%
Vegan friendly - Yes

2025 'Countryside' Cabernet Sauvignon - 93 points

Freshly picked blackberries, some kirsch and blackcurrants. Tonka bean and poppy seed spice, the wine relies on its fruit impact for power, there is good density and a solid foundation of naturally derived tannins. A wine that is hard not to love and continue to sip on over good conversation or a board game with friends, some party pies even. Contemporary cab sav for those that enjoy seeing cabernet fruit front and centre and will drink more than a couple of glasses of.

Shanteh Wale - Wine Pilot

2025 'Countryside' Cabernet Sauvignon - 93 points

Purple garnet hues in the glass. This is cabernet made to satiate those looking for approachable renditions of the style; it's meant to drink now, claret around the lunch table. Blackcurrant, red plum, a waft of white pepper, the blue fruits cooling and pure. Tannins are omnipresent and mouth-coating, fraying the lush fruit to great appeal.

Katrina Butler - Halliday Companion

2025 'Countryside' Cabernet Sauvignon - 90 points

This is spot on. Gluggable stuff. Loose knit but set at medium weight, blue fruited, dark cherry compote through the belly, salted liquorice, sage, bay leaf, pepper and some woody spices thrown in. Flavour packed but holds a cool reserve. A little clipped through the finish with zippy acidity and sherbetty dryness, but hey, fun all up.

Mike Bennie - Wine Front