
Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes entirely in French Oak barrels from the very beginning with destemming the chilled grapes straight into the new French Oak barrels and fermenting, rolling and plunging then maturing the wine in the same barrels. The wine has definitely taken on an extra dimension and lifted a level with texture and oak integration making the wine more seamless on the palate.
Reviews and Awards
Techniques are tuned to deliver pristine cabernet character here. This has a very fresh array of leaves, flowers, tobacco and blackcurrants, as well as blueberries and very well-integrated, cedary oak. The palate has a beautifully deep, ripe and concentrated delivery of plush, long and fine tannin. Impressive now, but best from 2024.
James Suckling, 96 Points
Ruby colour with flecks of purple. Grassy bouquet, more red than black fruits, red plum, clove and smoke. Full-bodied, ripe plum, boysenberry, roasted coffee and bay leaf. Well-defined texture, chalky tannin fuses seamlessly with warm alcohol and a generous mouthfeel. Looks great now but should age well for a decade or so.
The Real Review, 95 Points
100% Wilyabrup cabernet sauvignon. Pressed straight to large-format 100% new 500L puncheons and rolled on custom racks to enable the removal of skins. Wild fermented and matured for 20 months in the same vessel. The cooler vintage has birthed herbal wines of complexity - of which this is both. The tannins are omnipresent and fine; the fruit is delicate and lingering. This is not the powerhouse one would expect from a flagship wine: this is nuanced and fragrant.
James Halliday, 95 Points