97 POINTS
Angus Hughson - Winepilot
This superb 2021 Reserve blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc has a strong Bordeaux Cru Classe feel with its powerful and densely packed aromas of graphite, blackberry and blackcurrant compote with a rich serve of toasty oak. Pinpoint balance of acidity with robust tannins frame a long, strong and classically proportioned claret finish. One of Wrattonbully’s best yet.
96 POINTS
Shanteh Wale - Halliday Wine Companion
Aged in 100% new oak for 15 months and aged for a further two years under cork. Chinese plum, sour cherry, fresh blackberries and incense of rose, potpourri and dried chilli. Fruit power doubles, no triples on the palate with the threaded wool of sturdy tannins that, despite being unwavering and tense, make for a super coat of plushness across the tongue. Its orange-citrus acidity just hums along; oak is sweetly spiced, with earthy tones intermixed throughout. Another great success where exotic red fruit meets black, and Wrattonbully's suitability for Bordeaux blends stands triumphant. There is real delicacy matched by power that will stand the test of time; another couple of decades in the cellar will suffice.
96 POINTS
Ray Jordan - Winepilot
The 2021 vintage was special throughout South Australia, and in Wrattonbully it has allowed a wine of real elegance and captivating charm to be produced. A combination of Cabernet, Shiraz, and Cabernet Franc, with Cabernet making up more than half the blend. The colour is brilliant and bright with a slightly translucent appeal. The nose is aromatic and scented, with deeper black fruits lurking below. Elegant, defined, and refined, it spent about 14 months in French oak and old oak foudre, contributing to its balance and perfect integration. As it breathes, more red fruits emerge from a truly exceptional palate.
96 POINTS
Ken Gargett - Winepilot
From an absolutely stellar vintage for the region, this is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Shiraz and 21% Cabernet Franc from the Crayeres Vineyard in Wrattonbully. Fermentation was in French oak barrels, 100% new, and older oak foudre, for a period of 14 months. The team then put the wine away in their cellars for several years before release. 1,350 six-packs were made. Under cork. An inky dark maroon hue, the nose reveals notes of mocha, tobacco leaf, chocolate, licorice, spices, blackberries and cassis with quality oak integration evident. Ripe and with a seductive texture, there are silky tannins and great persistence. Still youthful, but there is real intensity here making this a 15 year proposition.
96 POINTS
Jeni Port - Winepilot
I opened the bottle, I tasted it, I drank a glass with dinner . . . and then the next night, I drank another glass. Sometimes, you have to double down on a wine that just keeps giving and see how long it can maintain that stamina. On day three, this stunner was still going strong. The secret is the wine’s all-round harmony, a difficult balancing act to be sure, but one that exudes a classic beauty to what is considered a classic, exceptional vintage. The fruit is sourced from Wrattonbully and contributes its usual generosity aligned to fine tannins. There is such a marvellous energy, vitality and drive here. The aromas bring blue fruits, black berries, plum, oregano, bay leaf, earth and herbs with vanilla pod. They embrace on the palate and are joined by a sense of the terroir, of Aussie bush, bay leaf, a splash of eucalypt, jalapeño, a strong spice element and fine pencil lead oak. The synergy is total, the effect is stunning and oh so elegant. Will age very well.
95 POINTS
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2021 Crayeres Vineyard Reserve comprises Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Shiraz (21%) and Cabernet Franc (21%), all grown in the estate-owned vineyard in Wrattonbully, with the vines spaced at 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters. The wine is elegant, with its most attractive quality being its chalky texture. The tannins are profuse, no doubt aided and abetted by 100% new French oak; however, the fruit, in its earthy/dusty way, carries it so well as to look integrated and complete now. Flavors include bitter dark chocolate, eucalyptus, sumac even and pencil shavings. It's a very impressive wine, as per usual. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.
94 POINTS
Mike Bennie - The Wine Front
Cab, shiraz, cab franc. The first variety around 60%, the rest in equal parts. Wrattonbully stepping up to the plate. There’s a richness and ripeness to the wine; choc-blueberry, mocha notes, graphite, black plum, salted liquorice going on in scents and flavours. A complex array of characters, the wine compacted and shaped by grippy, powdery sheets of tannin. It finishes with blue fruits and cedary spice and clove piquancy. There’s serious structure here, indeed, best drinking should start in a few years, though you get a bold strike of red right now. Serious wine, done well.