Coonawarra Cabernet Icons

There’s something unmistakably Coonawarra about this Cabernet (and it's not just the name 'Brand' stamped all over the label – red earth, a cool lift of mint, and that plush core of blackcurrant fruit. It’s a wine with both boots-on-the-ground authenticity and its own form of gutsy finesse. Red earth caked under fingernails. Akubra tilted just right. This is the real deal.

Patrick of Coonawarra, you've done it again... From pretty much the best cabernet vintage Coonawarra has ever seen, we've been handed a gift, and it just keeps giving and giving and giving... Ask anyone, serious Coonawarra cabernet like this is hard to get your hands on. What you won’t find in this wine, is that peppermint choc-chip ice-cream flavour. Rather, you’d find a subtle, smooth cedar, tobacco and dark chocolate characters with fine elegant tannins that effortlessly slide down the throat. Even the most staunch lover of shiraz will agree that there’s no better red wine match with slow cooked lamb than aged Cabernet and one can only imagine how good this will be after an hour in the decanter. This one's half a decade old, but it's still looking youthful, a positive sign for a decade or more still to come.

Coonawarra doesn't do average Cabernet. The region's too proud for that, the terra rossa soils too good, the reputation too hard-earned. What it does do — reliably, almost annoyingly - is produce some of the most structured, elegant, deeply satisfying cabernet in the country, if not the world. Here's a perfect example of that. Stonehaven's Limited Vineyard Release is a textbook high-quality Coonawarra cab - and the accolades back it up. Two separate 95-point reviews. A Halliday Special Value Award at full retail price. This is a wine that keeps getting recognised, and for good reason. Blackberry, dark cherry and boysenberry lead the charge, with cedar, cocoa, sage and a whisper of cigar pouch adding layers of complexity you wouldn't see coming. The palate is full-bodied and focused - blue fruit and cassis through the middle, tobacco and dark chocolate underneath, fine tannins pulling it all into a long, refined finish. Rich enough to impress at a dinner table. Approachable enough to crack on a Tuesday. Classic Coonawarra cab with genuine depth and poise. The awards aren't lying. This one's the real deal.