Wirra Wirra 2012 Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

(aged in 20% new French oak barriques): Inky purple. Suave, expansive aromas of ripe cherry, cassis and dark chocolate, with a smoky mineral element adding complexity and lift. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering intense dark berry and lavender pastille flavors and a musky touch of chewing tobacco. A vanilla flourish adds lift and bite to a very long, supple finish framed by smooth, late-arriving tannins. The pH for this wine is a very low 3.37, by the way; that number is more in line with a cool-climate Pinot Noir than what most consumers would expect from any Australian red wine, much less a Cabernet.

Score: 91 points -- Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 2016