2021 Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

As far as I know, and I'd be thrilled to be corrected, this is Australia's only 100% whole-bunch Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a highly unusual approach to this variety, which is so austere and rigid in its expression. Its the one grape that you can't bend too far in terms of style, and all off-piste expressions of it (e.g., sparkling) still display the same tannic rigidity. So, this 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mayer is super bright in the glass, with a green pea, mulch, summer lawn-clipping character on the nose. There is cassis and blackberry, boiled lollipop and green peppercorns, and while the vinification has changed the course of the aromatics and flavors in this wine, it has birthed an entirely new direction for the grape. It will polarize and confront many, but for those with adventure in their hearts and no fixed feeling for what they need from a Cabernet, this is sure to titillate. I bet it will age prodigiously.