2018 Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra

Deep crimson. A wonderfully evocative wine. Fragrant pure blackcurrant, dark cherry aromas with integrated praline mocha, roasted chestnut notes and touches of sage and violet. Beautifully concentrated wine with voluminous blackcurrant, dark cherry, mulberry fruits, plentiful fine grainy al dente tannins, superb dark chocolate, mocha, espresso complexity and underlying chinotto sage notes. Finishes grainy/ cedar firm with pure cassis, kirsch notes and a plume of extract. Elegant, powerful and expansive with the structure and balance for long term aging; the fruit, tannin, oak and acidity are beautifully integrated.

99 points Andrew Caillard MW

Very deep, dark, brooding purple/red colour, with a remarkably complex, savoury bouquet of beautifully-integrated fruit and oak, very ripe cabernet aromas with zero leafy or green notes and lots of dark brooding black fruit and cassis characteristics intertwined with cedar, smoky-bacon and graphite nuances. The wine is almost decadently rich and fleshy, full-bodied and loaded with extract, the abundant tannins extremely supple and superbly knitted into the fabric of the wine. Riveting intensity. A glorious cabernet.

98 points & 5 Stars Huon Hooke therealreview.com

Oh my, this is such a good wine – as good as any that have been released under this label. It is remarkable that a wine of such finesse and refinement should also have such power and drive. But that’s Coonawarra in a good year, managed with first rate winemaking after the viticulturist has delivered the fruit. Has a slightly liqueur cherry aroma with cool leaf and tobacco leaf nuances. The palate is sublime with the fine weave of tannin, fine grained oak and silky-smooth fruit. As you might expect it is still a little shy and closed but decanting will give you a glimpse of what it will become.

98 points Ray Jordan

From 3 vineyards on terra rossa soil, average vine age 29yo. Optically sorted. The best of the best – a selection of less than 1% of all cabernet parcels. Open fermenters, on skins for average 24 days. Matured 15 months in French barriques and hogsheads (35% new, remainder 2–3yo), mlf in barrel. Tasting young John Riddoch simply throws a spotlight on its quality as the cornerstone, because this wine evolves into something special with age. It's a majestic wine. Full bodied and deep, with an abundance of tannins, but all in place, with a brightness to the acidity. There's nothing harsh here. Earthy flavours, cedary oak and excellent fruit make it a bit of a tease: it is rather easy to open a bottle to enjoy now, yet its best years are ahead of it.

97 points Jane Faulkner winecompanion.com.au