2012 d'Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon Museum Release, McLaren Vale

Beautiful cabernet. Fresh at heart but fully franked with flavour. Boysenberry, asphalt, blackcurrant and assorted green and dry herbs. Perfect set. Waves of fine, dry, not-to-be-messed-with tannin. Kicks up dust as it leaves the mouth.

96 points Campbell Mattinson winecompanion.com.au

The 2012 d’Arenberg The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon Museum Release shows just how beautifully McLaren Vale Cabernet can age when it comes from the right place and is given time. Coppermine Road sits higher and cooler than much of the Vale, with ironstone flecked soils that give Cabernet its distinctive structure, savoury edge and unmistakable regional stamp. The 2012 vintage delivered excellent ripeness balanced by freshness, setting the wine up perfectly for long term development.

d’Arenberg remains one of Australia’s great individualists, with the Osborn family doing things their own way for generations. Chester Osborn’s approach is unapologetically vineyard driven. Fruit is basket pressed, fermentations are traditional and the wine is matured with restraint, allowing site character to take the lead. The Museum Release label is important here, signalling that the wine has been held back and aged at the winery until it begins to show its true personality.

In the glass, the 2012 has moved into a beautifully expressive phase. Blackcurrant, cassis and dark plum sit alongside classic Cabernet notes of mint, bay leaf and cedar. With air, savoury layers emerge, graphite, tobacco leaf, cocoa and that earthy ironstone character that defines Coppermine Road. The palate is firm but composed, with tannins that have softened into a fine, chalky texture and a long, drying finish that feels confident and assured.

This is a wine that rewards slow drinking and good food. Grilled ribeye, roast lamb, venison or aged hard cheeses all bring out its savoury depth. Thanks to its time in the d’Arenberg cellars, it is drinking superbly now, offering complexity and polish, yet it still has the structure to continue evolving over the next decade.