Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 56

YEAR'S BEST MARGARET RIVER
ries the oceanic freshness that marks Burnside chardonnay. The flavors are clean, with
toasty lees scents bringing hints of lemongrass and apple skins. It's pretty and rich, a
wine for marron, the big crayfish that thrive
in the local rivers. (W&S 2/19) § Wine Dogs,
Brooklyn, NY

RE D
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

this sleek cabernet. It's sweet up front, ripe
and voluptuous with hints of star anise, then
the wine's structure comes up to manage all
of that fruit and focus it in a clean, fresh flavor that lasts. This comes from two blocks,
planted in 1978 and 1995 at the estate on
Stevens Road. Accessible now, it's a powerful cabernet for braised lamb shanks or other
rich, meaty dishes. § Hudson Wine Brokers, Los
Angeles, CA
124370

93 | Walsh & Sons

$42

2017 Margaret River Roi Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This grows at a vineyard in Osmington,
on the inland side of the region, where Ryan
Walsh's father tends the vines at the edge
of a vein of coal in the soil. The nights are
cooler here than they are farther out on the
coast, sustaining this cabernet's black-currant freshness, a voluptuous fruit character
that lasts along with a dark scent of freshly
turned earth. Overall, it feels elegant, with a
weightless vibrancy, lovely to drink now in its
rosy youth. § Wine Dogs, Brooklyn, NY
124755

95 | Leeuwin Estate

$60

2015 Margaret River Art Series Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ There's sunglow to this wine's flavors, as if mirroring the cool, sunny autumn
days in Margaret River that extended the
growing season in 2015. There's nothing
dimpled about the fruit; it's just warm and
plump, with tannins you can breathe and a
palpable bristle of energy. The luscious blackberry fruit floods the crunchy acidity that
keeps the wine bright and zesty. Though the
wine spent 22 months in French oak, the barrel influence is apparent only in its textural
harmony and structural completion. Set for
long aging. § Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA
124539

94 | Stella Bella

$65

2016 Margaret River Luminosa Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Luke Jolliffe makes this wine
from two estate-owned vineyards on gravelly clay, one south of town, on Gnarawary
Road, and another in Forest Grove, nine
miles farther south. There's something completely seductive about its texture, a sumptuous, gleeful riff on blueberry and strawberry
ripeness, with bass notes of dates. Or the way
the wine's fresh energy checks its richness, so
that, as satiny and substantial as it may be, it
feels bright, with lightness between the layers
of flavor. Bring it on with eggplant tapenade
and spicy Middle Eastern lamb. § Little Peacock Imports, NY
124736

93 | Voyager Estate

$65

2015 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon ^
Bright red berries go sumptuous and wild in
56

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

91 | Leeuwin Estate

$60

91 | Xanadu

$20

90 | Leeuwin Estate

$29

2014 Margaret River Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Smooth and saturated with
clean, dark currant fruit, this holds gentle
brightness in a soft, mature cabernet. It's
supple and ready to drink, a wine for braised
lamb. § Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA
124407
2016 Margaret River DJL Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^ A blend of estate-grown
and purchased fruit, this wine feels summery in its plum and raspberry flavors, with
a hint of basil and mint. It's clean and zesty,
with plum-skin tannins that last, and just
rich enough for bresaola, the salt-cured beef
from northern Italy. § Rathbone Wine Group,
Napa, CA
124677
2015 Margaret River Prelude Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ It's a tight, smooth
and supple run from this wine's sweet blueberry richness to its dark, tobacco-scented
tannins. Give it a day of air and the finish
opens up, the flavors banking into a long
gentle curve. For braised beef or meat pies. §
Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA

124756

92 | Leeuwin Estate

$29

2016 Margaret River Prelude Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This brisk cabernet
captures the scent of the jarrah forest along
the Margaret River coast, a cool, herbal and
earthy savor that pervades its tart flavors of
plum and strawberry. The tannins are tight,
with the sleekness of pencil lead, carrying the
fruit without getting in the way. Pour it with
lacquered duck. § Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA
124718

92 | Wildberry Estate

$30

2015 Margaret River Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ This is Wilyabrup cabernet aged
in French oak (45 percent new barrels), delivering a powerful wine with brambly notes of
black currant and blackberry to play off its
forest-green coastal freshness. The tannins
have a meaty savor and some salinity, setting this up for grilled lamb rubbed with rosemary. § Southern Starz, Huntington Beach, CA
124674

124389

90 | Robert Oatley

$20

90 | Vinaceous

$18

2017 Margaret River Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^ This wine's redcurrant flavors meet tannins that reminded
one taster of olive tapenade, another of bitter chocolate. Either way, those tannins are
dark and rich against the lean, spicy cassis flavors. For flank steak. § Pacific Highway Wines,
Greensboro, NC
124355
2017 Margaret River Raconteur Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^ This wine's tarry
tannins let some sunlight through, yielding
floral scents of hibiscus and desert flowers.
There's a raspberry brightness in the midst of
the black tannins, suited to brisket or other
sweet and meaty braises. § Negociants USA/
Winebow Imports, NY
https://leeuwinestate.com.au/productdetail/129-2015-Art-Series-Cabernet-Sauvignon.html/ https://leeuwinestate.com.au/productdetail/136-2016-Prelude-Vineyards-Cabernet-Sauvignon.html/ http://www.robertoatley.com.au/
Wine & Spirits - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2019
