Words from a Wine Glass

Happiness, as Jim Rohn puts it, isn’t something you postpone for the future, it’s something you design for the present. Wine can be much the same. Yes, cellar those bottles that will bring pleasure down the track, but don’t forget the excitement and anticipation of opening one that’s already giving everything you need right now. Some wines reward patience, absolutely, but plenty offer their best moments in the present, and there’s something wonderfully simple about enjoying them while they’re drinking so well right now.

Beresford’s Classic range seems to walk the line between immediate enjoyment and gentle age-ability perfectly, and the 2024 Classic Cabernet Sauvignon fits squarely into that philosophy. It’s a wine built with approachability in mind and in a style that doesn’t demand cellaring to show its character. Beneath that charm sits the subtle yet familiar Beresford structure that hints there is still more to come. It’s a Cabernet designed for the present, but one that won’t mind being tucked away for moments of happiness in the future.

Live simply. Laugh often. Wine a lot.

Region: McLaren Vale, S.A.     Price: $35     Source: Sample thanks kindly to Beresford Estate

The nose brings together leafy, twiggy and herbal notes with a good dose of blackcurrant fruit and a gentle cedar‑like oak character. It’s complex and nicely balanced, with nothing pushing for attention. The palate is medium‑bodied and clean, with black fruits leading the way and a subtle earthy note. Fine tannins give support without interrupting the wine’s easy flow, and the length is really good; relaxed, cruisy and elegant.

An approachable, varietal Cabernet that’s showing delightful, sophisticated characters now while also hinting at a little more to come. A genuinely enjoyable wine, and one I liked more with every sip.

Have you ever driven the Great Ocean Road? I’ve been lucky to have done it, albeit only once, but it left an indelible mark. It’s a stretch of coastline that distracts you, in the best possible way, with rainforests, beaches, clifftops, views of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean, and you can’t drive past the Twelve Apostles (even if there are only seven of them now 😊). You stop more than you plan to, take longer than you expect, and you never tire of any of it. Even now, whenever I see it on television, I get nostalgic for that drive.

Huntington Estate wines give me a similar feeling. Long story short, thanks to some old friends, I first tasted their wines in the late 1980s and loved them straight away. Seeing previous owner and winemaker, Bob Roberts, on Wine Lovers Guide to Australia in the late ’90s reignited my interest. Fast forward to 2017 and I was re‑introduced to the wines, and that sealed the deal for me. Now, when their wines arrive at my door, I’m genuinely excited, and when I open wines like this Cabernet Sauvignon, I’m taken straight back to that first taste nearly forty years ago.

Here’s how the 2021 release carries that sense of return, familiarity and pleasure.

Live simply. Laugh often. Wine a lot.

Huntington Estate Website

Region: Mudgee, NSW     Price: $35     Source: Sample thanks kindly to Huntington Estate

It needed some coaxing but the nose slowly opens to black fruits, a touch of oak and a gentle herbal lift. The palate still carries a good juiciness, with black fruits leading and a bright red‑fruit hit adding freshness even at five years of age. There’s a little earthiness showing through while a creamy vanilla note softens things nicely. A herbal thread runs through the fruit adding interest and keeping things savoury while the fine, slightly drying tannins give it some structure. The finish is long and still wonderfully fruitful showing how well this wine has settled into itself. Drinking beautifully now, but there’s no rush. It still has more to give.

Time keeps moving, minute by minute, year by year and has a funny way of leaving its mark on everything. It’s an undeniable fact that everything ages. Some things handle the years well, some better than others. Sadly, plenty of things fall apart before they hit their stride.

Wine is definitely not immune to the passage of time. As we know, wine can benefit from getting older and welcomes those passing years. That’s the beauty of well‑made reds. They don’t fight the years, they work with them.

Huntington Estate red wines sit firmly in that camp and they make it look like part of the plan. They’re generally made with the long game in mind, built to stretch out and settle in. Flavours knit together, tannins soften, and the wine starts to show you what patience can reveal. Five years on, the 2021 Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon shows exactly why these wines are worth waiting for. A reminder that time isn’t always the enemy. Sometimes it’s the finishing touch.

Live simply. Laugh often. Wine a lot.

Huntington Estate Website

Region: Mudgee, NSW     Price: $55    Source: Sample thanks kindly to Huntington Estate

The nose is so delightfully inviting from the first swirl that I loved it straight up. Dark berries lead the charge, oak sitting comfortably as part of the whole and a gentle herbal lift too. The palate is fulsome and smooth, carrying nearly all the dark fruits you can think of with purpose and vanilla-like oak notes weaving through the fruit. A delicate herbal thread keeps things savoury, giving contrast to the generous fruit. The lovely tannin profile is fine, supportive and perfectly in tune with the wine’s richness. Length is excellent, carrying both fruit and tannin in equal measure and showing just how well this wine has been beautifully built. It’s bold, balanced and damn good drinking already, with plenty of time ahead if you choose to wait. An absolutely “buy it” proposition.

(Sorry about the photo. I only had this one of the 2019 to use)