2017 Wantirna Estate Amelia Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Totally opaque dark red black colour with a dark red hue. The nose has a perfumed like intensity with aromas of violets, red currant, mulberry and tobacco leaf drifting through the nostrils. Black olive, dusty cedar and spicy herb notes are also present. Elegant and tightly structured, the refined palate has red currant and mulberry fruits which are shaped by fresh youthful acidity and dry assertive tannins. Tobacco, dusty cedar, bay leaf and spice elements also play their role. Dry, slightly stern finish with a long elegant aftertaste. Requires patience.
Cellar 8-10 years.
Alc. 13.5%

Other Reviews….
Cabernets and Merlot from the original 1963 plantings, with 5% Petit Verdot coming off the 1989 plantings. All dry grown. Yarra Valley Cabernet from 2017 strikes me as being a more dense, compact year, with fine bones and lithe structure, and I like that very much.
Glorious Cabernet perfume of violet and pencil shavings, mint, blackcurrant and boysenberry, with the theme being intense small black fruit, I guess. It’s medium-bodied, dense and tightly knit, juiciness of blueberry and blackcurrant, layered in with more savoury tobacco flavour, graphite tannin, cool acidity, and a long, almost chocolaty finish. What a delight. Superb. Drink 2020-2035+
96 points
Gary Walsh – The Wine Front