Plantagenet Wyjup Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 - Mt. Barker, Western Australia

96/100 - Ray Jordan
94/100 Mike Bennie, Wine Companion
97/100 Ray Jordan (2020 vintage)
93/100 Mike Bennie, Wine Companion (2020 vintage)

5 Stars Winery - James Halliday

Ray Jordan "An elegant Mount Barker Cabernet Sauvignon. Ripe cassis, bay leaf, cedar and dark chocolate mingle with subtle cigar box and graphite complexity. "

Mike Bennie, Wine Companion "Pretty perfume that runs with blueberry, mulberry, garam masala, salt bush, seaweed and bay leaf characters. An attractive start. Sinewy tannins shape a juiciness in the palate, more blueberry/mulberry fruitiness, more of that umami-rich seaweed character. Fruit pure to taste, fine, lacy tannins doing a gentle yet shaping job. It's a charismatic cabernet on deck here."

Ray Jordan "Beautifully structured and powerful wine from this very early and short vintage. Perfumed blackcurrant and chalk dust over ripe dark plum. It’s an elegant wine of great structure and refinement. Strikes a great balance of fruit, oak and tannin, contributing to a precise and elegant palate feel. Aromatics are quite beautiful. This is cabernet of great style. Love the smooth velvety mouth feel."(2020 vintage)

Mike Bennie, Wine Companion "From a single vineyard. While bold and brassy there's tension and length here. A concentrated, flamboyant expression of cabernet with an inky intensity of ripe blackberries, cassis, lavender and chewy, dusty clove/oaky spice. It's a mouthful alright, persistent, palate-staining and big. In all that, consistency and evenness, and despite the lusty wood handling, it all sits nicely in the dense fruit character of the wine. Brassy, done well." (2020 vintage)

Western Australian winery, Plantagenent is acclaimed internationally for its consistently highly-awarded, quality wines produced from its five vineyards located in the cool climate region of the Great Southern. It is known for its highly aromatic riesling, tangy citrus-tinged chardonnay, exceptional Rhône-style shiraz and suberb cabernet sauvignon. The five estate vineyards are overseen by Chief Viticulturist Jordan Ellis whose philosophy is sustainability and remaining true to the terroir of the region.

The Real Review "Plantegent is a pioneer of the Great Southern region of Western Australia with vineyards first planted in 1986 and the first commercial winery established in the region. Celebrated for its rich heritage, the winery is owned the Lionel Samson family, the oldest family owned business in Western Australia established in Fremantle in 1829. Plantaganet has five vineyards in the Mount Barker sub region each with the unique characteristics, ancient soils and a cool maritime climate cretaing expressive wines of provenance, quality & prestige. "

James Halliday, Halliday Australian Wine Companion "Plantagenet has honed its flagship varieties into a distinct Great Southern wine style; a depth of lively flavour, seamless elegance and natural purity"

The Great Southern is emerging as a wine region of international significance and reputation. It is the largest wine growing region in Australia and is the second largest producer of grapes in Western Australia. It is a landscape of forested cliffs and resplendent mountain ranges, grazing pastures and towns steeped in history. The regional climate ranges from the coastal, maritime subregions of Albany and Denmark to the inland, continental subregions of Mount Barker, Porongurup and Frankland River. The predominant soils are similar to those of the Margaret River region - either lateritic gravelly sandy loams (marri country) or sandy loams deriving directly from granite and gneissic bedrocks. Near perfect conditions for grape growing has lured some of the most creative and talented winemakers to call this land their home and become part of its ancient story.

The region is known for commitment to be sustainable, and organic, and is attracting some of Australia’s best winemakers. In 2023 the region dominated the Halliday Wine Companion Awards with its Top Rated 2023 Rieslings winning 10 of the top 40 awards. Other varietals from the region also received exceptional ratings of 97, 96 & 95 points.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.