2022 Oakridge 864 Winery Block Cabernet Sauvignon

From the north-facing slopes of Oakridge’s home vineyard in Coldstream comes a Cabernet that speaks fluently of its Yarra Valley origins. Planted in 1996 to a mix of clones on grey alluvial loams, the Winery Block produces fruit of striking purity and fragrance, even in the long, cool 2022 season.

This is Yarra Cabernet at its most composed - medium-bodied, intensely aromatic, and layered with detail. Blackcurrant, blackberry and dark cherry mingle with red-fruited lift, hints of tobacco leaf, iodine, and ferrous earth. The palate walks a poised line between elegance and depth: supple black fruits framed by the crunch of chamois-like tannins, a graphite edge, and a finish that lingers with effortless persistence.

Fermented in small open vessels, held on skins for four weeks post-ferment, and matured for 15 months in fine French oak, this 864 release is a precise snapshot of time and place. A wine built for both early charm and decades of graceful evolution, it’s a classic, fragrant expression from the beating heart of Yarra Cabernet country.

97 points
"Excellent concentration on the palate, which is wrapped around youthful, firm and long-chained tannins. A very long life ahead is ensured. Super wine."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

96 points
"This is a pretty staggering wine. You’re not going to find this flavour profile in an Australian wine all that often... It’s silken and well sustained and structured, but this flavour profile, wow, it’s something. Oak is part of the magic but the distinction of the fruit is the thing."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)