Forest Hill Vineyard Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2024

96 POINTS

Ray Jordan

A super wine from these old cabernet vines planted more than 50 years ago. It was a warm season, but it certainly appears these old vines have worked their magic, creating fruit that’s balanced and intensely flavoured, and in no way overripe or jammy. In fact, it’s a wine of remarkable elegance and refinement, with those blackcurrant and dark fruit characters evident immediately on the nose, then providing the basis of a powerfully concentrated and deeply intense palate. There’s a silky-smooth feel about the palate which finishes with an almost effortless flourish. So stylish.

96 POINTS

Mike Bennie - Halliday Wine Companion

This has such beautiful form and flow. A slick, slippery and compact wine of elegant restraint despite the deep core of blue and black berry fruit character, black olive notes, sea spray, sage leaf, pepper and clove. It's so trim and taut, lengthy and impressive in its carriage of scents and flavours. A masterclass in cabernet, elegance and restraint, finesse and finery. And delicious.

95 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Houghton clone cabernet, planted 1975, dry grown. This is a mid-weight wine with perfect tannin, shape and length. It has more beauty than size. It flows with boysenberry, blackcurrant, mint and red roses, and while I guess that there’s oak here, because the texture feels so silken, oak flavour is certainly not prominent. There’s a seaweed/iodine character to the aftertaste which, for me, only elevates it further. I’d let this relax for a few more years but this is another beauty.