Description
Shaun Crinion has been on a mission to remind people what Yarra Valley Cabernet can do, and this wine keeps making the case. The fruit comes from a single site at Steels Creek, planted in 1981 by grower Simon Peirce, one of the warmer pockets of the valley where Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc can ripen fully without losing their brightness and perfume.
The 2025 was a warm, dry year, which is exactly what these varieties needed, and the blend stays consistent: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Cabernet Franc, with 20% whole bunches for lift and complexity. Wild ferment, 18 months in old French oak barriques, nothing heavy-handed.
The Franc is the key to what makes this wine work. It brings an aromatic lift and freshness that keeps things lively rather than dense, and you can feel it throughout. There's good structure and fruit depth, but the wine moves easily, driven more by acidity and bright fruit than tannin or oak. Classic Yarra Cabernet character without any of the austerity.
Delicious now but also genuinely cellar-worthy. As always with Dappled, the price makes it even easier to love.
94 points
"There’s plenty of depth and ripeness to the fruit but it all feels perky and alive. The Cabernet Franc influence is clear, as a positive."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
Customer Reviews
| Price Bracket | $41 to $50 |
| Type | Red |
| Body | Medium Bodied |
| Variety | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Yarra Valley |
| Australian State | VIC |
| Reviewed By |
The Wine Front |
| Critic Score |
94 |
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| Size | 750ml |
| Vintage | 2025 |
| Closure | Screw Cap |
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Common Questions
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For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
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Most wine retailers list at a single-bottle price and then discount 10–15% when you buy six or twelve. We've taken the opposite approach. Since the overwhelming majority of our orders are already 6 bottles or more, our list price is set for the case buyer from the start. There's no inflated single-bottle price to discount down from.
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