Young Gun of Wine - Deep Dive - Margaret River’s Best Cabernets

The Young Gun of Wine tasting panel gathered every example of cabernets from Margaret River that we they could find – that is, either varietally labelled cabernet sauvignon, varietally labelled cabernet franc, or blended wines made from the traditional suite of Bordelaise varieties – and set their expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. Below are the Hay Shed Hill wines that made the panellists’ top-six selections from the tasting. 

2024 Hay Shed Hill ‘Morrison’s Gift’, $27 RRP

Evan Heisz, Charlie Redmond, and Brendan Cannon selected this among their standout six wines of the day. “This one is a brute!” Heisz exclaimed. “Classic Margaret River style on the nose – all berry bushes and stems, underbrush with tea tree oil and eucalyptus scents scattered about. This has to be one of the most densely packed wines in the lineup. It’s big and brooding but with freshness in tow bringing it all together. A little coiled up at the moment – a cabernet with time to wait – but absolutely a sleeper. This would right at home on the table with a grilled rib-eye, putting those wonderful tannins to good work. Like most good things, this will need some patience – but it will reward you for it.” Redmond, observing a wine balancing multiple tensions: “Managing the balance of region, variety and identity all while keeping a wine fun, easy and unique is a marvel of winemaking. The rich tannins and spices, lovely hits of eucalyptus, high acidity, deep blackcurrants and a strong structure are all classic tells of good old Aussie cabernet in your grandfather’s cellar and this wine has plenty of it, but I don’t feel like I’m drinking something that’s conventional or potentially dated which the style can unfortunately be associated with. There is a playful and fun vibrancy to the fruit of this wine, like it’s the most mature box of Ribena I have ever had. I love the herbaceous lift, its eucalyptus and pine needles, its undoubtably cabernet and undoubtably unique. I don’t think this is a super complex wine or a wine that needs to be aged, I even think the alcohol is a little high, but I do think it’s a wine full of character that is interesting and unique with a real personality. Margaret River cabernets are serious wines with pedigree and expectation, so it’s great to see a wine manage to do that while still being down-to-earth.” Cannon assessed: “Underripe plums and a whisper of green capsicum on the nose. These notes follow to the palate, where some crushed-granite mineral tones also appear. There’s so much coiled ripeness, fine-boned tannins and measured acidity here – I suspect this wine will mature very handsomely.”

 

2023 Hay Shed Hill ‘Block 2’ Cabernet Sauvignon, $70 RRP

Charlie Redmond selected this among his top six wines in the tasting. “Wow, this one’s tasty!” he exclaimed. “This is a wine you could drink loads of very easily – it has a very expressive, easy-to-love core of fresh ripe fruit backed by strong, grippy tannins and refreshing acidity. Australia excels at this style of wine, so it’s no surprise that when it’s done in Margaret River with cabernets and a lashing of oak we get an elevated and elegant expression of the style. On the palate, blueberries and black cherries are up the front, alongside cinnamon spice and strong wormwood-like herbal notes that give it an amaro-like aromatic top note, followed by wet stones, petrichor and mint. The tannins are a massive anchor point here, bringing all these ethereal and bright aromatics and flavours down to earth – it’s still a serious and grounded wine. This wine makes sense – it’s the full package, and I really want another glass!”

 

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