Lakes Folly Cabernet Blend 2023 Magnum

The 2023 Cabernets comprises 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Shiraz and 7% Petit Verdot. Aromatically, the wine is alive: the energy of minerals and flowers, purple fruit and lead pencil, ironstone and dried herbs. These coalesce in the mouth and make for an elegant but driven and beautifully focused package. While this wine is far too young now, I believe it has the makings of one of the true greats. Of course, it will be some time before this fully comes to pass, as it has a long future ahead of it. 13% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. 96 points, drink 2026-2046, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.

This year is Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Merlot 10%, Shiraz 8% and Petit Verdot 7%. Curiously this puts me in mind of the 2021 a fair bit, though it’s maybe a little more frisky.

Highly perfumed with violet, roses and aniseed, mainly red fruited, darker fruit emerges with air, tobacco, camphor, some spicy cedar and nougat oak. It’s medium-bodied, a crispness here, a cranberry bite to acidity, redcurrant, cherry and blackcurrant, olive leaf and black olive, subtle grainy tannin, with a lively finish of excellent length. It’s understated, which is all part of Lake’s Folly’s peculiar charm, though it has the structure and balance to age gracefully, and well. In some ways, something of a surprise given the vintage; you might well expect it to show a little more ripeness and weight. Time will tell. 94 points, drink 2028-2044+, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front.