Parker Coonawarra Estate First Growth 2019

I’ve often wondered about the choice of the First Growth name. It’s a lend from Bordeaux. First made in 1988, the maker clearly uses First Growth to indicate a wine made, to be, in their words, “without compromise.” It is sourced from the “very best” parcels of the Reynell Selection, a selection from vines that trace their ancestry back to South Australia’s first commercial vineyard planted by John Reynell in 1838. It’s another Parker Coonawarra Estate Cabernet with plenty of time on its side – it’s not going anywhere fast. It offers a veritable riot of herbal interplay in thyme, sage, oregano, a touch of jalapeño, in between black fruits and blackcurrant intensity. There’s a star turn from dense, concentrated tannins which contribute to a solid wall of structure and flavour. Solid, dense, quietly melding, working towards a very bright future.