This estate vineyard, located in the remote southwestern tip of Australia, a four and one-half hour drive southeast of Perth, proved to be a major surprise in my recent tastings of Australian wines. More impressive than the Chardonnay is the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 1993 Olmo's Reward. It exhibits the textbook Rutherford dust nose that I associate with some of the great older vintages of Beaulieu Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Opaque garnet/ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet cassis, cedary, earthy-scented nose, this wine possesses full body, outstanding ripeness and concentration, and moderate tannin in the long, powerful finish. Although accessible, it will benefit from another 1-2 years of cellaring, and will keep for 12-15 years. I would be interested to know if other readers detect the classic BV style of winemaking (of the fifties, sixties, and seventies) in this wine.
Importer: The Australian Premium Wine Collection, imported by Cabo Distributing, South El Monte, CA; tel. (818) 575-8090