McKellar Ridge Wines

High quality, hand-crafted wines from the cool climate of the Canberra District
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2006 Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc

A follow-up to the multi-award winning 2005 wine. This wine has an even deeper cabernet structure with lovely aromas of cedar oak and dark berry fruit. The palate is luscious and the wine finishes with beautiful fine tannins.

  • Silver Medal - Cowra Wine Show July 2007

Reviews

Eat and Drink Magazine - "New Releases" September 2007

Canberra area has gained fame for its shiraz (often with a dash of viognier) but this shows that cabernet can shine here too, perhaps with its oft-maligned cousin franc. Loads of blackcurrant with some hints of red fruits and herbs but very fragrant and enticing. The palate is quite firm yet ("give me a break", it cries, "I'm barely in bottle") but with lots of fruit, liquorice and underlying oak that will integrate and improve in the short term and develop for many years. A lovely Bordeaux-ish style red of real integrity.

Top Drops - Chris Shanahan, Sunday Canberra Times May 2008

This is the second outstanding vintage in a row from Brian Johnston's McKellar Ridge. With grape grower Martin Susans (Point of View vineyard, Murrumbateman), he's produced an elegant, ripe and delicious medium-bodied cabernet blend. It's not green, it's not hard, it's not hollow and it's not overoaked - problems that've made Canberra cabernet a poor cousin to shiraz. Johnston says Susans' work in the vineyard delivered the lovely ripe-berry varietal flavour - characteristics captured well by Johnston's winemaking and sympathetic French oak maturation regime. The cabernet franc component, from Mount Majura vineyard, subtly fleshes out the mid-palate.

Campbell Mattinson, The Big Red Wine Book

The 2005 (93 points) had a lot of folks raving - not something you expect for a Canberra cabernet. It's much like the beautiful 2005 except denser - it's red, inky heart crammed full of blackberries and chocolate, mint and cedarwood. I love cabernet with a hint of lead pencil flavour to it, and this has a dose of it - glory be. Lots of acidity here too. Great cabernet drinking. Score 92. Drink 2010-2020.