This was one of the wines I singled out at Tesco’s Autumn/Winter press tasting, and I was keen to revisit it. There were seven Cabernets on show, some costing up to three times as much, yet this one really stood out. Cabernet Sauvignon often has a distinctive leathery aroma, but this was different. It positively sang with eucalyptus.
The wine comes from Wakefield Wines in Wrattonbully, Australia, roughly midway along the inland route between Melbourne and Adelaide, near the Limestone Coast. It’s a cool-climate region, where the grapes enjoy a long, slow ripening period, developing plenty of richness and character along the way. When the Australian Taylor family began exporting their wines to the UK in the 1980s, they ran into trademark objections from Taylor’s Port, the long-established Portuguese port producer associated with Taylor Fladgate. The solution was to use Wakefield for international markets, taking the name from the Wakefield River, which runs near the family’s vineyards.
This 2024 vintage, 14% ABV, has already picked up some winning silver medals at both the International Wine Challenge (IWC) and the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in 2026.
The aromas are wonderfully inviting, with blackcurrant, eucalyptus, vanilla and cedar all making an appearance. Give it a little time to breathe and an intriguing pencil-lead character emerges. In the mouth, it’s all about deep, rich cassis and blackcurrant, with a refreshing minty lift that keeps everything lively. There’s a lovely fullness to the fruit. It’s a dry wine, medium to full-bodied, with low to medium tannins and a long finish where the cedar and mint linger beautifully.
This wine is great as soon as you open it, but over the following days it gets even better. The flavours develop, the wine opens up and it becomes increasingly enjoyable. I liked it so much that I bought more.
Usually £12.50 at Tesco, it’s already good value, but when Tesco runs its 25% off wine promotion, it becomes an absolute bargain.
