There is something very comforting about Balgownie Cabernet. I was talking last week about that sense of the right variety on the right site, and Cab looks perfectly at home in this part of Bendigo. Always varietal, always well formed. No change with the Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.

Dark chocolate, snickers, dark berries, mint. Very Balgownie. Maybe a little forward this year, but also very classical. Brick dust, choc peanuts, almost a little leather, compact tannins. Never feels overcooked, just ripe and driven by powdery, ripe, natural tannins.

Best drinking: I like it now, I’ll still like it in fifteen years. 18.5/20, 94/100. 14%, $48. Balgownie Estate website. Would I buy it? Yes.