Yayoi Mon Grand Frère Cabernet Franc 2024
- 94
- $59
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Macedon granite and clay, a vineyard planted in the early nineties for Virgin Hills, one of the sites that serious winemakers in this country quietly share and quietly revere. Steffi Snook’s third vintage here, made the Saumur way she learned at Domaine des Closiers, cold and slow, cap wet once a day, nothing forced. This is the wine she says is her best yet. She is right each time. The first nose arrives green and deliberate, fresh green leaves, tomato water, celery gazpacho, the cool-climate signal that tells you when the fruit was picked. Then it opens. Star anise, poaching spice, blue fruits with a goji tartness in the finish, the black cherry staying ripe and present. Some bones then more flesh, slender and generous both, but the bones are beautiful. Racy and saline like a Saumur, with an uprightness through the spine that makes you sit up with it. A mineral turned soil, wild berries smudged, a pinch of peppercorn on the second pour. You lean in. Give it time now and give it some time. Lamb with rosemary, squid ink pasta, jamón, canard laqué. This is wine for a long table, a slow night…
Liinaa Berry is a Melbourne-based wine critic and consultant with over a decade of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer across Australia and around the world where she has built award-winning wine programs and championed independent producers with conviction. Now focused on reviewing and writing, Liinaa brings a floor-trained palate and commercial insight to her assessments. She is also the Melbourne Ambassador for Star Wine List and serves on the committee of Sommeliers Australia. An advocate for site-driven wines and thoughtful farming, Liinaa is particularly drawn to producers who articulate a clear sense of place. Her tasting philosophy centres on structure, balance and context — always asking not just how a wine tastes, but why it matters.
