2022 Bleasdale The Iron Duke Cabernet Sauvignon, Langhorne Creek

The Iron Duke is a 'best of barrels' selection, matured for 12 months in French oak puncheons (20% new). This is a substantial cabernet, classic in its styling, leafy and elegant where it needs to be but otherwise fruit-filled and plush. Whispers of smoked cedar and resin are the perfect complement to pure blackcurrant, rust, graphite and mint. This label has been on a superb, class-leading run of form in recent years, and once again, its quality is right up there.

95 points Campbell Mattinson winecompanion.com.au

Bleasdale The Iron Duke Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Langhorne Creek’s great modern classics, grown on some of the oldest continuously farmed vineyards in South Australia. These low lying, alluvial soils beside Lake Alexandrina are regularly refreshed by winter flooding, giving the vines deep moisture reserves and allowing them to ripen slowly and evenly through the warm but moderated Langhorne Creek climate. Bleasdale is a true Australian wine institution, founded in 1850 and still family run, with a long history of crafting Cabernet Sauvignon that combines power with elegance rather than raw weight.

The Iron Duke is named in honour of the Duke of Wellington and is drawn from some of Bleasdale’s finest Cabernet parcels, delivering a wine that is deep crimson in colour with aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum, cedar, bay leaf and subtle mint that speak clearly of both variety and region. On the palate it is rich yet poised, layering cassis, graphite, cocoa and gentle spice with fine grained tannins and a long, savoury finish. It is a natural partner for roast beef, grilled lamb, venison and aged cheddar, and it will reward patience in the cellar for ten to fifteen years as it gains more tobacco, leather and earthy complexity.