The Lane Gathering Adelaide Hills Cabernet Franc 2025

It’s so subtle you could miss it. It’s not just the prettiness and aromatic beauty of the Franc aromas, but amid the florals and spice and fruit, there is an energy and verve to this wine. It’s a little deceptive, sneaking up on you. Enticing cherry, blueberry, cassis, spice, florals, dried herbs with a pinch of black pepper light up the aroma. There is an equally alluring floral introduction, pretty with some peppery overtones alongside bright, fresh berries, fennel seed, herbs, and as the freshness of the acidity comes into play there’s that energy and life. Smooth tannins provide structure but are nicely in tune with the fruit and the style. Combines all of Cabernet Franc’s stunning qualities in one wine.

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