Riddoch Coonawarra The Author Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Contemporary Coonawarra Cabernet in style with the kind of upfront vibrancy and precision that separates it from some of the more traditional, meaty, weighty Cabernet tomes of old. It arrives in the glass as a breath of (vinous) fresh air. Smart use of vanillin, new and seasoned French oak is noted but never over-sold. Restraint and control are key here. It joins wild berries, bramble, earth, leaf and herbals on the succinct, inviting bouquet. Good line and length, usually a white wine tasting phrase, comes to mind as a fine line of ripe tannins (rather than acidity) brings structure, length and poise. Tannins are the foundation upon which layer upon layer of loganberry, blackberry, bramble, oregano, mint, leather and earth are built – no seams here. The overall impression is one of balance, the kind that can be enjoyed now while resting safe in the knowledge that it has time on its side.

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