2024 Halliday Wine Companion
2019 CHERUBINO BUDWORTH CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 98 POINTS
Hand picked, sorted and macerated on skins for two months; matured in new and one-year-old French barriques. This fragrant, medium-bodied cabernet is something quite special. I've no doubt whatsoever that Block 6 has once again provided excellent fruit that could have been left to its own devices (great wine is made in the vineyard, isn't it?) but skilled vinification, patience and attention to the smallest detail have made a glorious cabernet sauvignon, the palate akin to a string of shimmering, lustrous pearls.
2021 CHERUBINO MARGARET RIVER CHARDONNAY - 97 POINTS
Fruit from vineyards in the Margaret River districts of Karridale and Wilyabrup; hand picked and whole-bunch pressed, fermented and matured in new and one-year-old oak for six months. This is in a different realm to its Caves Road sibling. It is tighter, more focused and longer, grapefruit ascendant over stone fruit. It's tempting to make something of the difference in alcohol, Caves Road at 12%, this at 13%, but I think a shorter time in oak has also been at work.
2020 CHERUBINO MARGARET RIVER CABERNET - 97 POINTS
From the best parcels ex the estate vineyard in Wilyabrup; matured in new and one-year-old oak for 12 months. Beautiful crimson-purple colour gets the wine off to a good start. It's not common to describe a two-year-old cabernet as charming, indeed sensual, but this is what you get here. There's juicy cassis fruit, quality cedary French oak, and perfectly pitched tannins. I agree with the back label that the wine will gain in richness and complexity over the next 10-15 years, but I also argue the cause of the wine now with its elegance and balance (to which Larry Cherubino will doubtless say QED).
2021 CHERUBINO ovale CAVES ROAD CHARDONNAY - 95 POINTS
Fruit from several vineyards in the Margaret River districts of Wilyabrup, Wallcliffe and Karridale; hand picked and whole-bunch pressed, fermented and matured in new and one-year-old oak for 10 months. An altogether convincing portrait of Margaret River chardonnay. Larry Cherubino has brought a span of flavours together: white and yellow peach, creamy cashew and some expensive oak add up to a wine for whenever you screw the cap off.
2021 PEDESTAL SHIRAZ - 95 POINTS
Anyone not convinced by Margaret River shiraz, try this. It’s a beauty. Heady aromas of florals, spiced fruit, rusty iron and warm earth. Fleshy ripe plums and cherries on the fuller-bodied palate soak up the oak before the persistent finish kicks in. The silky tannins are something else. Impressive from first to last sip.
2022 PEDESTAL SEMILLON SAUVIGNON BLANC - 95 POINTS
While the label bears an uncanny resemblance to Californian producer Ridge Vineyards, that’s where the similarity ends. Pedestal is all about Margaret River fruit, here an 80/20% semillon/sauvignon blanc split. It’s an excellent drink offering tangy flavours, an amalgam of lime and lemon with citrusy sorbet acidity and woodsy spices. Ultra-refreshing, yet talc-like texture across the palate and a certain depth add to its classiness.
2022 AD HOC WALLFLOWER RIESLING - 93 POINTS
Tightly wound and refreshing in a juicy, lime-on-green-apple kinda deal. Easy drinking, pure and fresh. So refreshing, almost tonic-like, or juice-like in a way. Nice pucker through the finish, too. Pretty, pitch-perfect summery style and oh-so-vivacious. What a delight!
