Dog Ridge DV3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Dog Ridge is one of my favourite McLaren Vale wineries, producing superb wines from their 1940s plantings of Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, and value-packed wines at the other end of the spectrum.

"The palate is rich and supple, with sweet blackcurrant, chocolate, vanilla and spice."  James Halliday

Dog Ridge have produced a superb range of McLaren Vale wines from the great 2002 vintage. They are all archetypal McLaren Vale - big, sweet fruit infused with lovely oak flavours – but have the extra juiciness, purity and elegance that the 2002 vintage conditions imparted. Like with its sibling Shiraz, the oak in the cabernet is a little dominant at this stage (the wine has just been released), but leave it six months to two years and the oak will be gobbled up by the ample fruit; by which time one will have a national treasure on one's hands.

This single vineyard wine is produced from a two-acre block of low-yielding 60 year-old cabernet vines. In the past, all the fruit from this block (named DV3) has been sold to other well-known companies, but now the top 5% of grapes are being used to develop their own label. The 2002 vintage was made by Wayne Dutschke of Barossa fame; the new winemaker is Mike Brown from Gemtree. The wine was matured in predominantly French and some lightly toasted American oak.

Expert reviews

"Outstanding McLaren Vale Cabernet: no doubt the cooler year helped. A deep, muscular, well structured cabernet with good varietal fruit, a lick of chocolate, lovely fleshy richness and a nice grip to finish. A long-termer. Best now to 15 years. Food: aged Reggiano cheese."  Huon Hooke, The Sydney Morning Herald - Top Aussie Red  ★★★★★

"Oak a tad assertive on the bouquet, but the palate is rich and supple, with sweet blackcurrant, chocolate, vanilla and spice. Drink Now-2017."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 92 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"Blackcurrant, mint and coffee dominate the bouquet. Ample in weight; almost seamless with a supple consistency the tannins are smooth but the wine is deceptively well balanced with a structure solid. Good quality fruit is the driving force in this wine and it shows as varietal blackcurrant, mint, chocolate and coffee finishing to tomato leaf characters but its ripe with the mid palate chocolate and coffee dominant. Easy to drink now, it is rated as Recommended with **** for value, it should improve till 2008+ and the rating should increase as it matures."  Ric Einstein, www.torbwine.com

Awards

Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

About the winery

 Dog Ridge is a small family owned venture that started when Dave and Jen Wright moved from Adelaide to McLaren Flat to become vignerons. They purchased a 40-acre vineyard on ancient Kurrajong soil that boasted several 1940s plantings of Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon that were used as a source for Château Reynella fortified wines. Fruit from these vines form the basis of their flagship wines today.

The 'Dog Ridge' is a very old grapevine rootstock no longer used in modern viticulture as it is too vigorous. The name caught Dave and Jen's attention and combined with the fact that they are besotted with curly coated retrievers and the main house is on a sandy ridge overlooking the vines… well, the name makes sense.

In 2005, Jen's son Fred Howard and his wife Sarah joined the team, with the shared ambition of making great McLaren Vale wines. Before long the Cellar Door opened, and shortly after that the art gallery. 

Today Dog Ridge produces a range of boutique wines from 90 acres of premium McLaren Vale vineyards. The Wrights are proud of Dog Ridge's environmental record, having received property management awards for sustainability and minimal impact on the environment. These awards recognise their efforts at incorporating biodiversity into the vineyards, the recycling of wine barrel oak and green waste, and the conservation of precious water resources.