Robert Oatley Limited Release Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

96 POINTS

Ray Jordan - Winepilot

When you get a good vintage in the Barossa, cabernet sauvignon can be a real gem. This is such a case. The wine was sourced from the Barossa and Eden Valleys, so the fruit of the cooler Eden Valley plays an important role in contributing to the elegance and refined structural lines. Beautiful varietal blackcurrant on the nose with traces of plum with a subtle dark chocolate savoury edge. After traditional winemaking that included 12 months in new and one year old super fine grained French oak, winemaker Larry Cherubino rigorously culled the barrels to get the best for the final blend. It’s a super wine of real style that says both cabernet and Barossa.

95 POINTS

Ken Gargett - Winepilot

Robert Oatley Limited Release Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 – As previously indicated, a good vintage in the Barossa Valley can offer surprising results for Cabernet. You’d think it would not work, but then like so much in the wonderful world of wine, what we think rarely seems to matter. 2018 is clearly exactly the sort of vintage which works for Barossa Cab, based on this wine. It is surely impossible not to like. Larry Cherubino’s expertise has transcended boundaries to produce a richly flavoured, finely balanced gem. From vineyards in the Barossa and Eden Valleys, vines aged between 25 and 60 years, he used open fermenters leaving the juice on skins for between four and six weeks. The wine was then matured in new and one-year-old tight-grained, low toast French oak barriques. The result is a wine of dark magenta, concentrated, rich and intense. Flavours of chocolate and black cherry mingle with spices, dry herbs and blackberries. It lingers beautifully through to very cushiony tannins. There is a warm, comforting plushness to this wine which should prove irresistible, though it can be put aside for a decade or two, if you prefer. A cracking Barossa Cabernet. Would prove a fun wine to use in a blind options game.

95 POINTS

Dave Brookes - Halliday Wine Companion

A beautifully composed cabernet sauvignon from the very strong 2018 vintage in the Barossa and Eden Valleys. Densely packed blackberry, black cherry and cassis are supported by notes of deep spice, thyme, bay leaf, espresso and cedery French oak. The mouthfeel is luscious and textured with wonderful flow, fruit density, graceful line and tightly packed gypsum-like tannins. The finish, long and pure, is awash with black fruits, cedar and spice. Wonderfully balanced and a wine with a bright future in the cellar.