2022 Joshua Cooper Old Vine Cuvee I

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A new super cuvee from Josh Cooper, a star winemaker who has firmly planted his reputation in a relatively short while, but with aplomb. And a focus on cabernet, which for a young fella seems antithetical, but high quality Claret is his guiding light.
This is a blend of four vineyards 45% Greytown, 37.5% Balgownie, 15% Redbank and 2.5% Williams Vineyard. The detail from Josh explains that Greytown is a 1950s co-planted site of shiraz and cabernet from the northeastern side of Heathcote, Balgownie is the prized 1970s block from there which features in another Josh Cooper wine with stunning results. Redbank is the 1970s planted cabernet as nurtured by legendary Stuart Anderson (ex-Balgownie) and Neill Robb, while the dash of Williams Vineyard makes for an interesting inclusion off a site also planted in the 1970s, that ended up in notable wines under the Flynn and Williams brand. The wine spends time in one year old oak of two sizes and styles.
It’s a very elegant, old school-good school feeling wine. I think the first comment, and first reaction, was that toasty, spicy oak is a strong influence in the wine, but not untoward per se, just a bigger player than expected in comparison to other Josh Cooper cabernet releases. It feels a little gritty in a way, good, and the extension of flavour is superb, dark cherry, cassis, violet floral notes with liquorice, dried herbs and faint eucalyptus are in the mix. Fruit tannins are lithe, drawing the wine into a composed, medium weight, flow and pucker. It’s a wine that feels like it perhaps would be best in a year or two, or released as such, to find that immersion of woody spice in a better place, but you can readily appreciate a wine of elegance, grand scent and flavour, and of course promise. It’s pretty darn great. Drink 2025 - 2040+
94+ Points
Mike Bennie - The Wine Front