94 Point Rated - Ray Jordan The West Australia

"Sympathetic winemaking contributes to the style of this shiraz. In the winery the gentle basket pressing is certainly a factor, resulting in a soft, generous and beautifully complete and rounded shiraz. Gravelly tannins and a light touch of oak are well managed. Has a beautifully soft and generous mouthfeel with length through to a long finish. Excellent"

94 Point Rated - Jeni Port Wine Pilot

"On the count of three . . . deep, deep inhale. That scent of sage, the karri forest and black pepper, is so essentially, immediately Margaret River. It’s joined by cassis, plums, cloves, coffee grounds. Despite the obvious generosity and warmth, this wine remains steadfastly of the place where it is grown, a reflection of age of vines – Cape Mentelle founder, David Hohnen, believed in the grape from the beginning in the 70s – and of the winemaking regime, which I suspect is not written in stone. Indeed, winemaker Ben Cane speaks of the grape lending itself to experimentation each year, such is the depth of its character and “exotic spice.”

Said spice comes to the fore on the palate with a red licorice, clove, dark spice display unwinding amid the dense, black fruits.
Love the balance of fruit, oak and tannin in this wine. Pitch perfect. Tannins are solid, a firm foundation for the future, but I would also suggest that they are so smooth and comfy across the gums that drinking pleasure is also right now.

The maker has a long association with shiraz; Cape Mentelle founder David Hohnen believed in it so, too, current owners, the LVMH group. Good for them because there are many in Margs who don’t necessarily share the enthusiasm. If it’s a matter of shiraz over cabernet sauvignon, the latter tends to win the debate every time. This wine states a firm argument in the grape’s continuing role in the region." 

92 Point Rated - Huon Hooke The Real Review

"Deep red/purple bright colour. The aroma is spicy, elegant and ripe with some cooler-grown accents and some cedary wood notes. The wine is medium to full-bodied and savoury, with abundant supple tannins, oak is evident but balanced, the palate medium-long and drying. There's a touch of extractiveness in the tannins on the aftertaste. A powerful wine that would appreciate some cellaring."

91 Point Rated - Gary Walsh The Wine Front

"It’s 95% Shiraz, 3% Grenache, and 2% Viognier, using 30% whole bunch and 20% American oak, the other part is French. Three vineyards – Wallcliffe, Trinders, and Crossroads. I’d be interested to hear what Campbell thinks of this wine, kind of like seeking approbation from a much older brother.

Meaty, hazelnut, peppery and sweetly black fruited Shiraz, dried apricot, with bracken and ferns floating about. It’s silky and ripe, fine grain to the deeply submerged tannin, almost a graphite feel, shows a slight warmth, blueberry and nutmeg, orange oil, coconut rolled apricot, and a succulent and tannin-laced finish of good length.