Dodgy Bros Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot 2012 (McLaren Vale, SA)
14.2%, Screwcap, $29

Hardly a traditional blend for McLaren Vale and you could argue that it’s more of a representation of the warm and windy southern end of McLaren Vale than it is a notably varietal.

Still, what’s joyous here is the texture – it’s thickly packed, choc mint etched and sumptuous, with a purple inky full profile that is bold and full. For anyone who has tried Drew Noon’s rich and silken wines you’ll know the combo of black, choc bullet black fruit intensity in an unwavering rush of power (Drew’s vineyard is nearby in a similar geography).

Perhaps a little syrupy and oaky, but otherwise deep and broody, this ballsy red finishes chunky and brutish and warming, finely tannic but still brutish.

Full tilt, black sweet fruit and sweet oak style that may not be everyone’s cuppa tea (too big for that) but has admirable weight and concentration. Plenty of hedonistic joy here.

Source: Sample
Tasted: June 2014
Drink: 2014-2022+
Score: 17.7/20, 92/100+
Would I buy it? Not quite yet.
Buy online: Wine Cloud, Dodgy Bros website