2023 Sorrenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Merlot

95 pts SUCKLING TOP 100HALLIDAY TOP 100
A beautifully composed, quietly age-worthy Bordeaux blend from one of Beechworth’s most thoughtful and consistent producers.

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Sale price$79.00
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Description

This is Sorrenberg doing what it does best - a restrained, finely tuned red from their biodynamic vineyard just outside Beechworth. While the Gamay and Chardonnay might steal the spotlight, this Bordeaux blend has always been a bit of a sleeper in the lineup - and 2023 is another reminder of why it matters.

Despite the label, Merlot and Cabernet Franc take the lead here, with a mix of Malbec, Carmenère, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon rounding things out. Fruit was low-cropped and fermented with native yeasts, followed by a long stint in oak - 24 months, all up - and bottled unfiltered.

The result is polished without feeling pushed. There's fruit, sure - dark berries, blackcurrant, maybe a bit of spice - but it’s the shape of the wine that sticks with you. Silky in parts, structured in others, and totally unforced. It’ll drink well now, but has the bones to go long if you’ve got the patience. A proper, no-frills estate red that rewards attention.

"A complex motif! The wine is complex, too... Finesse, in spades."
- Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "A blend that consists of 30–40% merlot and cabernet franc, with a touch of malbec, petit verdot, carménère, then the balance is of cabernet sauvignon. A complex motif! The wine is complex, too, yet sleek and elegant in the same statement. Almost a kind of pinosity in texture and weight, though fine, silty tannins shape things long and to a fine, succulent point. Dark cherry, brambly blackberries, a lick of toasty clove and cinnamon, undergrowth and truffle savouriness underlying. A subtle, saline and graphite minerality makes landfall, too. Finesse, in spades." - Mike Bennie (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Refined and aromatic, with notes of blackcurrants, red plums, cedar, bay leaves, graphite and dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with tightly woven tannins and bright acidity, offering a savory, mineral-driven mouthfeel and a long, composed finish. Blended with a touch of cabernet franc and merlot. Elegant and age-worthy. Drink or hold." - Ryan Montgomery (James Suckling)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 4 reviews
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J
James P.
Wonderful wine

A delicious cab frank blend that is drinking beautifully now and I expect will age nicely over the years ahead, highly recommend (and also found this wine hard to find, following enjoying it out in a restaurant recently)

J
Jun F.
Great Cab Blend

Good value cab blend at this price point. Would be interested to see how it gets better over the years.

B
Ben T.
That Beechworth fruit!

Fantastic blend, such great value and the wine was really singing 24 hours after opening, so can handle a bit of cellaring!

Thanks Ben! What a wine and what a producer. Such an elegant and balanced blend, and agree it will only get better with time. Glad you liked it. Cheers :)

B
Ben T.
That Beechworth fruit!

Fantastic blend, such great value and the wine was really singing 24 hours after opening, so can handle a bit of cellaring!

Thanks Ben! What a wine and what a producer. Such an elegant and balanced blend, and agree it will only get better with time. Glad you liked it. Cheers :)

The 2023 blend consists of 30–40% Merlot and Cabernet Franc, a touch of Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere, with the remaining Cabernet Sauvignon. A low crop level is important to ensure the fruit ripens and achieves maximum flavour. The wine was fermented for four weeks on skins before pressing. Natural yeast is used throughout. The wine undergoes oak maturation for 24 months before final blending and bottling without filtration.

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Merlot offers a complex display of blackberries, currants, and bell peppers, with delicate hints of spice and cigar box. On the palate, tight acidity and fine-grained tannins create structure, while a touch of spicy oak adds length and complexity.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety Style ["Cabernet Blends"]
Country Australia
Region Beechworth
Australian State VIC
Feature Organic
Biodynamic
Cult
High Score
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
Critic Score 95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Cork

Sorrenberg

Barry and Jan Morey planted their stunning Beechworth vineyard in 1986. Their first release in 1989 began the Sorrenberg story, a story destined to be one of Australia's great estates.

Barry farms with adherence to biodynamics, believing this to be the best way to get the most out of his home block of 2.4 Ha. on the outskirts of Beechworth. Their wines are famous for their balance and longevity. The wines are made in traditional fashion, with wild yeasts for fermentation, gentle oak maturation and basket pressing for each wine.

The Gamay is arguably their most sought-after wine, however, the thumbprint of Barry's attention to detail is stamped across each release and the Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and Cabernet blend are amongst the finest of their kind in the country. Sorrenberg is one of the true gems of Beechworth, and indeed Australian, wine.

Barry & Jan Morey Sorrenberg

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