Driftwood Artifacts Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

As more and more ’23 Margaret River Cabernets are released, the buzz about the quality of the vintage grows louder. Here, we see a youngster, still pretty tight but with air a rising complexity comes to the glass. Tempting regional notes come into view early on, the distinctive roasting herb character of the region with its sage, thyme and bay leaf with additional spearmint amid a wealth of black fruits, black cherry, plums, chocolate and spice. Oak – 18 months maturation in French oak (15% new) – plays a role on the palate, something noted now with its toasty vanillin and firm oak tannins, but these are still early days. As it opens, and it is in no rush, expect touches of earth and savoury smoked goods to emerge layered through a palate plush in texture and lively in ripe fruit, herbs, leaf, spices. In building mode for a big future.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic