2020 Murray Street Greenock Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 Points

🏆 96 Points | Seriously Impressive Barossa Cabernet from Greenock

Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Murray Street's Greenock Estate

96 Points – Wine Orbit | 94 Points – Wine Pilot | 93 Points Halliday Wine Companion 

Greenock, Barossa Valley, South Australia

96 Points – Wine Orbit

94 Points – Wine Pilot 

93 Points - Halliday Wine Comapnion 

RRP $60

Everyone talks about Barossa Shiraz.

And fair enough.

But when Cabernet Sauvignon gets the right vineyard in the Barossa?

IT CAN BE ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING.

The:

2020 MURRAY STREET GREENOCK ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON

is a brilliant example.

This isn't generic Barossa Cabernet.

It's a block and barrel selection from two prized sections of Murray Street's Greenock Vineyard, made specifically to capture both Cabernet's varietal character and the richness of its Barossa origins.

And the result is one hell of a Cabernet.

96 POINTS – WINE ORBIT

Rich.

Dark.

Structured.

Generous.

But unmistakably:

CABERNET.

Tasting Notes

This is proper Barossa Cabernet.

Expect:

• Blackcurrant

• Crème de cassis

• Blackberry

• Dark plum

• Black cherry

• Cigar box

• Cedar

• Dark chocolate

• Dried herbs

• Subtle mint

• Baking spice

• Earth

There's plenty of concentration here.

But what makes the wine interesting is the way that rich Barossa fruit sits alongside classic Cabernet characters.

Cassis.

Cedar.

Herbs.

Fine tannin.

Earth.

The palate is deep and generous, with beautifully ripe blackcurrant fruit wrapped around a firm Cabernet structure.

There's richness without losing definition.

And there's enough acidity and tannin underneath the fruit to keep everything beautifully balanced.

Power with structure.

That's what good Barossa Cabernet should be.

96 Points – Wine Orbit

Wine Orbit described the wine as:

Robust and seductively complex.

The aromatics combine:

Crème de cassis

Cigar

Cedar

and:

Subtle spice

before moving into a rich, concentrated palate.

96 POINTS.

That's an enormous result.

And at an RRP of:

$60

it deserves serious attention.

Greenock

This is where things become particularly interesting.

GREENOCK.

Located on the western side of the Barossa Valley, Greenock is serious red-wine country.

Warm days help develop extraordinary fruit concentration.

But the best vineyards can retain enough freshness and structure to stop the wines becoming simply big and sweet.

And while Shiraz receives most of the attention, Cabernet can be terrific here.

It produces a very different expression from somewhere like Coonawarra or Margaret River.

You're not necessarily looking for the same cool-climate austerity.

Instead, Greenock can give Cabernet:

Richer black fruit.

Greater generosity.

Dark chocolate.

Earth.

Spice.

while retaining those unmistakable Cabernet characters of:

Cassis. Cedar. Herbs. Tannin.

It's a fascinating combination.

A Serious Vineyard Selection

One of the things I particularly like about this wine is that Murray Street didn't simply pick all of its Cabernet and put it into one tank.

The 2020 Greenock Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is:

A BLOCK AND BARREL SELECTION

from:

TWO PRIZED SECTIONS

of the Greenock Vineyard.

That's important.

It means this wine has been selected rather than merely assembled.

The goal is to show the distinctive personality of both:

Cabernet Sauvignon

and:

Greenock.

And you can taste both.

Cabernet Through a Barossa Lens

This is what I love about wines like this.

It isn't trying to taste like Bordeaux.

It isn't trying to taste like Margaret River.

And it isn't trying to taste like Coonawarra.

IT TASTES LIKE BAROSSA CABERNET.

There's plenty of cassis and blackcurrant.

But the fruit is generous.

There's dark chocolate.

There's spice.

There's earth.

There's richness.

And then Cabernet's tannin structure pulls everything back together.

That makes this a terrific wine for people who normally drink Barossa Shiraz but want to explore something different.

You still get that Barossa generosity.

Just with Cabernet's backbone.

2020 – A Beautiful Vintage to Have Now

There's another advantage here.

This isn't a brand-new release.

It's:

2020.

So the wine already has several years of bottle development behind it.

That's enough time for some of those components to start knitting together.

The oak integrates.

The tannins begin to soften.

The primary fruit becomes more complex.

And those classic secondary Cabernet characters start to appear.

Cedar.

Cigar box.

Earth.

Dried herbs.

Yet there's still plenty of black fruit underneath.

That's a terrific stage at which to drink Cabernet.

Food Pairings

This is Cabernet.

Give it some protein.

Perfect with:

• Rib-eye steak

• Roast beef

• Beef short ribs

• Slow-cooked lamb shoulder

• Roast lamb

• Beef cheek

• Venison

• Mushroom ragù

• Hard cheeses

• Mature cheddar

Personally?

STEAK + GREENOCK CABERNET.

You don't need to complicate it.

Cellaring

The 2020 is already in a terrific drinking window.

But the concentration, acidity and Cabernet tannin structure should allow it to continue developing.

Drink now through 2035+.

If opening it now, I'd give it:

30–60 minutes in a decanter.

That should allow the cassis, cedar, herbs and spice to really open up.

And if you're buying a six-pack?

Drink a couple now.

Put the rest away.

Cabernet rewards patience.

Why We Love It

Because Barossa Cabernet doesn't get enough attention.

Everyone immediately thinks:

SHIRAZ.

But this demonstrates what happens when serious Cabernet fruit from a serious Greenock vineyard gets the attention it deserves.

Look at what you're getting:

2020 Vintage

Greenock

Barossa Valley

Estate-Grown Cabernet Sauvignon

Block & Barrel Selection

Two Prized Vineyard Sections

96 Points Wine Orbit

And:

RRP $60

There's richness.

There's black fruit.

There's chocolate.

There's spice.

But importantly:

It still tastes like Cabernet.

2020 MURRAY STREET GREENOCK ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Greenock, Barossa Valley

96 POINTS

RRP $60

Cassis. Cedar. Dark chocolate. Herbs. Earth. Structure.

If you're a Barossa Shiraz drinker who rarely buys Cabernet, this is exactly the sort of wine that could change your mind.

SERIOUS BAROSSA CABERNET FROM ONE OF THE REGION'S GREAT WESTERN DISTRICTS.

👉 Rich enough for the Barossa lover, structured enough for the Cabernet lover – and with several years of bottle age already behind it. This is drinking beautifully.