2023 Bekkers Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale

Hand-picked from the steeply sloped, contour-planted proprietary Clarendon site, a '90s vineyard originally planted in the 19th century that promises much excitement in the future. Emmanuelle and Toby Bekkers believe this part of McLaren Vale is ideal for cabernet (this has 10% cabernet franc, too), yielding varietally on-point, elegant wines. It’s hard to argue with that based on this evidence. Fragrant, classically leafy but ripe, poised and elegant, with mulberry, currant, pencil shavings, pepper, cedar, a maritime kombu/nori note and a lilt of violet. It’s deeply flavoured but so pure, elegant and unforced. This takes McLaren Vale cabernet to new heights. Drink to 2040.

97 points Marcus Ellis for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2025

The 2023 Clarendon Cabernet Sauvignon is leafy and layered with cassis, sweet tobacco, bay leaf and a hint of tapenade. This is supremely elegant, medium-bodied and complex, with a freshness of acidity that enlivens the fruit and palate. "Effortless" comes to mind. The fruit is sourced from a terraced vineyard site up in Clarendon, with dramatic views and staggering potential for high-quality fruit, the result of which we see here. This is excellent.

96 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2025

All Clarendon fruit and a cheeky 10% Cabernet Franc inclusion. This is all manner of blackberries, huckleberry, prune and plums. A significant twiggy, stripped thyme stem notes that has me smiling fondly. This feels like good old raw dog Cabernet Sauvignon and yet as we know nothing is lackadaisical in the vineyard or winery at Bekkers. However the old soul of Cabernet shines true here, and where you’ll be even more pleasantly surprised is with the brightness, and jaunty light foot in its step. Tannins are sandy and ever present but have been well integrated for drinking on release, ensuring this will age well over another couple of decades. This is old mate Cab Sav, strolling down the street whistling his tune but with a brand new set of smoking hot kicks. No doubt you will blink and your glass will be gone. A wonderful lithe wine with so much promise, I am already reaching for another pour. A chunky beef pie is in order. Drink to 2045.

96 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, July 2025

The fruit for this excellent wine comes from Bekkers Clarendon Vineyard Estate, which was planted back in the early 90s. The colour is brilliant, deep, dark, but with some nice crimson hues on the finish. The nose is immediately captivating, exotic aromas of African violet, black currant and a little graphite. The palate is plush, smooth and textured, yet the fine thread of tannins has been retained, contributing to a wine of structure and purpose. There’s a little savouriness on the finish and a touch of black olive providing a nice complement to the deeper fruits. Oak is well managed, and overall, the wine is balanced and poised. Drink to 2043.

95 points Ray Jordan for Wine Pilot, July 2025

This is the first release of a Bekkers Cabernet Sauvignon. It was grown exclusively on the Bekkers contoured vineyard at Clarendon. It’s made mostly with Cabernet Sauvignon though there’s also a small inclusion of Cabernet Franc. This is an elegant, dusty cabernet with length to burn. It’s a wine that will mature beautifully. It’s fragrant, drifted with dried herbs and green olives, and presents as both boysenberried and curranty in a fresh-faced way. It oozes confidence in that it doesn’t try too hard; it’s a quality wine, you take it as it is. It’s also a wine that builds as it breathes; the fruit swells, the tannin stretches, the finish extends like a trombone as it heads for the deep notes. There’s something ultra classical about this wine.

95 points Campbell Mattinson, July 2025

Deep, bold red with a hint of purple in the rim; the bouquet is unusual but varietal: blueberry, cassis and dried sage leaf. The wine is full bodied and fills every corner of the mouth with flavour and supple, ripe tannins. The finish is all cassis and a bouquet garni of dried herbs. A big, bold wine with the structure to take some age happily. Drink to 2037.

92 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, July 2025

The 2023 Bekkers Cabernet Sauvignon, the first from their Clarendon Vineyard Estate is a fine and ethereal expression of the variety with perfumed aromas of violets and blackcurrant, with a cedary/pine lift. A claret style, mid weight with vibrant acidity and chalky tannins, while the flavours are understated with a strong leafy edge, the overall balance is impressive and promises to build over the next decade.

92 points Angus Hughson for Wine Pilot, July 2025

This is a McLaren Vale Cabernet built on elegance rather than power. Perfumed with violet and blackcurrant, it opens onto mulberry and cassis, framed by cedar, pencil shavings and a savoury, leafy edge. The palate is medium-bodied and precise, with fine, dusty tannins and a thread of natural acidity carrying it through to a long, fragrant finish.

The structure here calls for something with a little gamey depth to match the wine at the table: a grilled venison loin with juniper and blackberry, or a Middle Eastern-spiced lamb backstrap with pomegranate molasses, both playing to the wine's savoury edge without overwhelming its elegance.

More about this wine

McLaren Vale had a good quality vintage in 2023 even if yields were low. The grapes for this Cabernet Sauvignon were estate grown in the Clarendon subregion. This site sits at an elevation of 191 to 238 meters and was originally planted in the mid-1800s. The vineyard was re-planted in the early-1990s, with the vines standing standing in red clay loam terraces over clay, lime, siltstone and schist. The blend includes a 10% portion of Cabernet Franc from the same vineyard.

The grapes were hand-picked, destemmed and machine-sorted to remove any shrivelled and green berries. A small portion of fruit was crushed, the lot held cold for 32 hours prior to allowing fermentation to start with indigenous yeasts. The ferment was gently pumped over with the aim of minimising over-extraction, and one parcel of the Cabernet Sauvignon was allowed extended maceration on skins. Basket pressed to a mix of 500L French oak puncheons and a 300L hogshead, of which 39% were new, the wine was matured with minimal sulphur additions before racking in September 2023 and March 2024. The wine was then bottled in September 2024. 

About Bekkers

Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers produce small quantities of fragrant and silky-textured premium McLaren Vale wines with the intention of being among the best in the world. Obsessive vineyard management lays the foundation for their winery work, which balances open-mindedness with attention to detail.