Dalwhinnie releases highly reviewed in The Wine Front

by Greta Codyre April 17, 2024

Continuing the incredible run for Dalwhinnie, we have received some great reviews from Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattinson on The Wine Front.

96 points (Gary Walsh)
Well, it’s now The Eagle, not just Eagle, and it landed at my place today. This is the first vintage made by Julian Langworthy. Such exotic perfume here, incense, lilac, all the spices, some liquorice richness, blueberry and blackberry. It’s medium-bodied, plenty of flavour packed in, kind of a meaty beef dripping thing, yet carries that waft of perfume, in with melting tannin, and lavish spice, acidity is set to freshness, though it’s in no way overt, and sits so well within the wine. Finish speaks to region and grape variety so well. Beautiful wine. So distinctive. It’ll age, but gee, I think I’d be enjoying this over the next five or so years. A bird in the hand kind of thing.

95+ points (Campbell Mattinson)
The eucalypt is noted but this is fabulous, and it’s fabulous for both the darkness and freshness of its fruit, and for the clear sustained sail of its finish. There’s a choc-mint aspect to this, not surprisingly, but if ever we wanted evidence that Dalwhinnie is back in town quality-wise, this is it.

95 points (Campbell Mattinson)
The region speaks clearly with its spearmint and boysenberry flavours, the latter edging toward blackcurrant, but it’s the integration of the (fine) tannin and the flare of the finish that really seals the deal. This is an excellent Dalwhinnie cabernet. It’s fresh, firm and beautifully sustained, its smoky oak neatly tucked within, its quality clear.

94 points (Gary Walsh)
Spicy, robust, tea and dried flowers, blackberry, roast beef and dripping. It’s medium to full-bodied, quite meaty, but also has lavish spice and grainy grip, something of a port wine jelly richness too, in with all that meat, dried herb and black olive savoury stuff, then black cherry and blood, on a finish of very good length. Also, wheatgerm, but don’t mind me. It has a fair amount of chew to it, and sooty tannin, but it’s an excellent wine. I’m either 93 or 94, but on balance, the character and personality of it wins me over.

94 points (Gary Walsh)
I just wondered, prior to tasting this, if Julian Langworthy’s sweaty little fingerprints would be found on this wine? And yes, they are! It’s Pyrenees meets Margies! Tasted with a few People’s Choice Chicken Parmi Shapes. Ideal. A little struck match, honeydew melon, white peach, maybe even some lime, with a honey biscuit spice on top. It’s lively, yet rich, a creamed honey and cashew richness in with pear and ripe lime. a juicy thing, though it finds balance between flavour and bright acidity, and the finish is long, glossy, flinty, and satisfying, and just a little bit savoury and pepperminty. Gee, Pyrenees Chardonnay has never had it so good.

93 points (Gary Walsh)
The renaissance of Dalwhinnie continues apace. Blackcurrant and boysenberry, dark chocolate, dried herbs, peppermint tea and dried flower perfume. It’s medium to full-bodied, black olive and tobacco, a lovely sense of decay to the ripe small berried red and black fruits, a sure grip to grainy tannin, and while it maybe carries just a little too much warmth. the generosity of flavour and length stamps it out as a wine of presence and fine character. It’s a very good wine, kind of overtly regional, yet charismatic all the same.

91 points (Gary Walsh)
Not made by Julian Langworthy, who’s first vintage was 2020. The best is yet to come from this estate, I feel. Lots of mint, truffle, Earl Grey tea, blackberry, beef dripping and spice. It’s medium to full-bodied, the tannin is a little too drying, and almost, it feels like it’s drying out in a way, though the beefy minty baked raspberry flavours do carry it to an extent. It’s very old-school in feel, all mint, tobacco and truffle decay, and also feels a little bit warm in alcohol, with grainy chew to tannin and a finish of good length. It’s a wine style of yesteryear and may put a smile on the face of many for that reason alone.

Shop all current Dalwhinnie releases online here.

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