Very deep, dark red-purple colour; the nose shows cedar, cassis sandalwood and bitter Italian herb aromas—almost a suggestion of chinotto or Fernet Branca. Very intense and pure cabernet flavours, yet to develop the detailed complexity that will surely come in time, while the palate has great intensity and elegance with a long carry and abundant emery-like tannins. This needs time to show its full potential.

This is the annual Wynns’ selection for their Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard was planted after the original estate owned by the O’Dea family was sold in 1966. Maturation is in a mix of new and older French oak barrels and foudres for fifteen months. 28% of the oak is new. The colour is an opaque maroon with a purple rim. There is an earthy note to this wine at this early stage, and it is joined by aromas of mushrooms, leather, dried herbs, chocolate and black fruits. Good integration of oak, this is a powerful and balanced Coonawarra Cabernet, but it really does need time. Time in the glass to open up and time in the cellar to exhibit its best. On the palate, we see notes of plums, tobacco leaves and cassis emerge towards the finish. There is excellent length here, finishing with fine tannins. If you have the willpower, put it away for two to four years and drink it over the next ten to fifteen.

For younger readers, this is the perfect wine for starting your cellaring journey. Not wild or showy, just well-made, classic, and will over-deliver with time. Denser and more giving than any other red I have seen in this release. Pencil shavings, lead, pomegranate juice, plum skins. The fruit is vibrant, but plush and just ripe. In the mouth, it tastes like the Australian heartthrob that it is. Pink pepper corns, cinnamon, mulberry, strawberry skins, black plum skins and toasted gum nuts. Barky, drying tannins, a touch of fennel. It’s savoury, firm in what it is, and has plenty of structural acid holding it in line. Oak is dusty and firm. All signifying a wine that will last the ages. As I’m writing this, it is tight as a tiger. Decant before serving. Or by case and drink one every 5 years. With food.

Wynns’ single vineyard series for the 2023 vintage honed in on younger vines from a block just north of the winery in the Coonawarra village district, Terra Rossa underneath. This wine now stands out for its classic regional black currant and spearmint aromas before delving into a big, full-bodied and complex matrix of Cabernet Sauvignon elements – dark fruit, mouth-filling, black tea-like tannins and savoury olive paste, the berry flavours outlasting all the structural support to rise again in the finish. There’s a decade or two at least hiding in this bottle, the evolution promising even greater discoveries. A canny investment now will repay handsomely.

Each year, one vineyard is chosen to be highlighted for its specific qualities and individuality. In this case, it’s the O’Deas Vineyard, which is just north of the winery and sits on the classic Coonawarra terra rossa soil. This was a cooler vintage that presented some challenges, and yet the fruit and the vines have been expertly managed to produce fruit of high quality. Deep reddy-black fruit colours. The aroma displays that backdrop of blackcurrant, with a lift of red fruits and a trace of fresh mint. The palate is bright and energetic, with a fine lively acidity lifting and extending through to a long finish. It’s an elegant and most stylish Cabernet. Captures so much about what Coonawarra represents. You’ve got to be doing something right that, in a challenging year like 2023, you can produce a wine of this quality.