Recognition

Signature Wrattonbully, from menthol-tinted aromatics and cassis-defined palate to fine-grained, powdery, chalk-dusted tannins. A cool season heightens tang, freshness, endurance and beauty. Everything works together confidently for a future as long as the cork holds out. 

 » Read more about: Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2017 – 94 points Silver  »

A cooler season works its magic, lifting the violet perfume of cabernet, the black pepper of shiraz, the bright tang of acidity and the fine-ground energy of enduring, chalk-bound tannins. Regional menthol assumes its rightful place. Medium-bodied effortlessness is refreshing. A keeper.

 » Read more about: Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2017 – 95 points Gold  »

Brian Croser’s vision of a great Right Bank Bordeaux, realised. Or at least that’s the drift with this Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2017. Sometimes this Wrattonbully red can seem too ripe and too ambitious, but it feels rather right with this ’17 iteration. Sadly the Cab Shiraz I tasted alongside it was corked, and I’m having a bad run of TCA in top end Aus reds lately.

 » Read more about: 2017 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

Brian Croser’s vision of a great Right Bank Bordeaux, realised. Or at least that’s the drift with this Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2017. Sometimes this Wrattonbully red can seem too ripe and too ambitious, but it feels rather right with this ’17 iteration. Sadly the Cab Shiraz I tasted alongside it was corked, and I’m having a bad run of TCA in top end Aus reds lately.

 » Read more about: 2017 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

Lots going on here. Huge perfume of ripe plum, sage, violets, pot pourri, cedar. The palate is plush, jubey, lush, soft, lots of ripe fruit, a lick of minty green herbs, some rose hip tea and a late wash of feathery tannins and malt. Bold mouthful, lots of excitement, plenty of grunt and yet balance and class.

 » Read more about: “A lavish wine” – 2017 Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

Seaspray, seaweed scents, a dusting of clove, cassis, some eucalyptus too. Evocative perfume. Dark fruit flavours, more of the salty, seaweed thing to taste, some saltbush greenery too, chewy, clove-y oak laid on with late coming tannins building to a nice chew. Good concentration, flow, suppleness, though a bit dry and tangy on the finish.

 » Read more about: “Wrattonbully the hero here”- 2017 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz  »

Deep red colour with a trace of purple and the bouquet has a gun-smoky, black olive, roasted-fruit bouquet, the palate full-bodied and chewy with assertive, slightly bitter tannins that leave a hefty chew on the aftertaste. A quite heavy, thick-textured red that deserves time and really needs some ageing. Big extraction, bulky and lacking elegance.

 » Read more about: “It’s a big youthful wine that will certainly reward with time and age” – 2017 Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

Deep red colour with a trace of purple and the bouquet has a gun-smoky, black olive, roasted-fruit bouquet, the palate full-bodied and chewy with assertive, slightly bitter tannins that leave a hefty chew on the aftertaste. A quite heavy, thick-textured red that deserves time and really needs some ageing. Big extraction, bulky and lacking elegance. It’s very ripe and savoury: a long way removed from simple fruit. 23 MAR 2021
2023–2037

92 points

 » Read more about: 2017 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

Medium to deep red colour with a trace of purple and a mossy, undergrowth bouquet with traces of humus and cabernet raspberry-mint, more savoury than fruity. The wine is very dry and savoury in the mouth, finishing with firm tannins and a palate-cleansing trace of bitterness. It perhaps lacks a little in freshness but has undoubted depth of flavour,

 » Read more about: A pure expression of the unique Whalebone Vineyard terroir – 2017 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz  »

The classic Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz blend is all about combining the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the ripeness and upfront appeal of shiraz. This example does it well, aided by the warm 2016 vintage.

It is a bright deep ruby colour but still closed, and youthful. The fruit is brooding – layers of tar,

 » Read more about: An excellent example of Australia’s own unique blend – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz  »

This Tapanappa Whalebone Cab Shiraz 2016 sure packs in flavour, but it would be more compelling if it was less ripe.
85% Wrattonbully Cabernet and 15% Adelaide Hills Shiraz (from the Shining Rock Vineyard which Brian Croser founded in the Petaluma days). It’s deep, thick and coffeed, the palate drenched with dark chocolate flavour and a thick,

 » Read more about: A huge wine with considerable impact – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz  »

Classic right bank (Bordeaux) blend of Cabernet Franc (as opposed to Cabernet Sauvignon being king on the left). Wrattonbully in the far east of the state of South Australia has a cool, maritime influenced, climate – from memory the whalebone reference being to the fact the region was under sea way back in the past,

 » Read more about: Should be in the cellar of every Australian wine lover – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Franc Merlot  »

Marked by mint and cassis on the nose, the 2017 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz becomes more Shiraz-like on the palate, where it adds cherry-berry fruit and a relaxed, generous feel on the medium to full-bodied palate. Silky tannins sneak in to give a pleasant soft dustiness to the finish. It’s a solid effort, but it lacks the aromatic fireworks of the Cab Franc Merlot blend.

 » Read more about: Australia’s very own unique red blend – 2017 Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz  »

The floral-herbal elements of Cabernet Franc are nicely balanced and rounded out by the ripe cherries of the Merlot in Tapanappa’s 2017 Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc. Silky and fine on the palate, this medium to full-bodied red still delivers plenty of flavor, with cherries and tobacco set off by accents of cedar and vanilla on the lingering finish.

 » Read more about: A classic right bank Bordeaux blend – 2017 Whalebone Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

This has a very rich and ripe feel with prune and plum-cake aromas, as well as raisins. The palate has soft, ripe and rich tannins and a smooth, soft finish. Drink now. 

90 points

 » Read more about: 2016 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz  »

This has a cedary edge to the plum aromas with some spicy-oak influence and an earthy edge. The palate is smooth and supple with spicy, cedary-oak flavors and a core of red plums. Drink now. 

90 points

 » Read more about: 2016 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc  »

Plush with perfumed violet, bramble, liquorice and black pepper aromatics, spiced and savoury on the palate with layers of chocolate, dark berry and harmonious tannins.
95 points

 » Read more about: Decanter World Wine Awards *Gold Medal* – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz  »

The maestro has not lost his touch. After five decades in the wine industry, pioneer, winemaker and educator Brian Croser is still producing wines of impeccable balance and widespread appeal. Much of his success has come down to a knack for brilliant site selection. Tapanappa acquired the then 30-year-old Whalebone Vineyard in Wrattonbully in 2002,

 » Read more about: Tapanappa 2016 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz  »

Merlot makes up 44% of the wine, while cabernet franc is 56%. Always good to see franc holding sway.
When I first tasted this I thought there was too much bubble-gum oak, and for some people there probably is, but as it breathes dust and pure blackcurrant flavours burst forward as rugged, muscular tannin rumbles into place.

 » Read more about: We have a wine of swagger here, a bold wine but a vital wine – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Franc Merlot  »

A full-bodied red based on the quintessential Bordeaux Right Bank prototype, this is rich yet fresh; forceful yet somehow savoury and while reflective of a warm, dry year manifest as salubrious dark fruit tones, bitter chocolate, mocha oak (20 months; 50% French) and thicker-framed tannins than the norm, perhaps, they drag the flavours long. Textural.

 » Read more about: 2016 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Franc Merlot – 95 points, Gold  »

A very good example of the union between place and variety, the richness of the fruit flavours bringing blackcurrant and blackberry together. Then cigar box and polished tannins come into play on the perfectly balanced palate.

 » Read more about: 2016 Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz – 96, Gold  »

Bright and deep ruby-red colour. Loads of toasty oak and green rhubarb, eucalyptus and red licorice. Ripe red strawberries and cranberries wrestle with ambitious tannins and dried herb sinew. Tannins are chalky and ripe. It’s a bit of an assault on the senses right now. Needs time and air to soften its stance
92 points

 » Read more about: Needs time – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Franc Merlot  »

Black olive hue with red edges. So many moving parts to the bouquet: cedar, dark soy, tapenade, mixed red and black berries, oak is definitely firm. An opulent first sip; ripe blackberries and raspberries meld beautifully with licorice and softer plum notes. Time in the bottle has softened some edges. This is right in the slot –

 » Read more about: Sensational wine – 2016 Whalebone Cabernet Shiraz  »

Only 15% Shiraz here, from the Adelaide Hills.

Blackcurrant, peppermint nougat, new leather, aniseed and biscuit spices. It’s bold and curranty, sweet nougat oak and dark raspberry, a meat and sage flavour in there, plush powdery tannin, and some alcohol warmth poking through on a pretty long suede-like tannin finish. It’s still pretty youthful,

 » Read more about: 2016 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz  »