2023 Forest Hill Estate Cabernet Malbec, Mount Barker

The 2023 Cabernet Malbec is from Cabernet from the dry-grown plantings from the 1970s in the Mount Barker vineyard. This is fragrant, chalky and floral, and the fruit is underpinned by all manner of red characters: raspberry and blood plum, pomegranate and pink peppercorns. I can't get past how lovely these tannins are; they are just so in the ballpark of Nebbiolo—ultra fine, firm and long limbed. This is a beautiful wine.

96 points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

This is delicious. It's sweet fruited but has this sense of herbal complexity, red earthy savouriness, fine cinnamon and clove spice, green olive in brine saltiness and greenery. The tannins are so very fine, elegant, sleek and keep the wine compact and refreshing. Medium weight, just, and perfectly so. Beautifully, tightly wound, with supreme length and a sense of finesse. Glorious red wine.

96 points Special Value Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

This is 65% Block 7, which produced the prettiest fruit on the property, and about 35% old vine malbec, off vines that are 25 years old. Deep dark colour. The nose has a slightly turned earth and meaty aromas with bright red fruits. Dark fruits in the middle palate with tremendous depth and concentration but it’s smooth and seamless. A very small amount of new oak in here. Chalky fine tannin builds to a long finish. Trace of graphite in there.

96 points rayjordanwine.com.au

Forest Hill Estate Cabernet Malbec from Western Australia’s Great Southern region is a bold yet elegant red that brings classic Bordeaux structure with a distinctly cool-climate Aussie twist. Forest Hill is the oldest vineyard in the Great Southern, with vines first planted in 1965, and their estate-grown fruit delivers depth, purity, and a strong sense of place.

This blend combines the cassis-driven backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon with the plushness and spice of Malbec. The result is a wine that’s structured and ageworthy, but also juicy and expressive in its youth. Winemaking here is focused on balance—gentle extraction, minimal intervention, and maturation in French oak to frame the fruit without overwhelming it.

In the glass, you get lifted aromatics of blackberry, blackcurrant, violets and dried herbs, backed by hints of graphite and cedar. The palate is medium to full bodied with fine, powdery tannins and a long finish laced with plum, dark chocolate and savoury spice. There's a lovely interplay between ripeness and restraint that speaks to the cool conditions of Mount Barker.

Perfect with grilled lamb, beef short ribs, smoky eggplant or sharp aged cheddar. It’s a classy, quietly confident red that deserves a spot in your cellar—or on your dinner table.

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