• Vanilla 
• Tobacco 
• Leather
• Dense, fleshy & lingering finish

"Deep red colour with the merest tinge of purple, while the bouquet is strongly crushed-leafy, tobaccoey and just a little green. There are vanillan oak inputs as well. The wine is lean and nervy, with some grittiness and slight bitterness in the tannins. Its ripeness is just slightly on the cusp. Some tomato-bush touches. A very good wine all the same - it has richness, flesh and fruit-sweetness" Huon Hooke, Real Review, Jan 2019

Sweetly perfumed, clove and cinnamon backed up with dark plums, vanilla and a touch of cedar. Spicy fruit cake with soft coating tannins and leather notes, texturally it's dense and fleshy with lingering fruit. This is a serious wine of complexity and charm.

They have been producing Babich Irongate Cabernet Merlot Franc since 1986 and it has evolved into this richly flavoured, balanced and elegant wine. The vines from this now-famous Gimblett Gravels Irongate vineyard are selected at pruning, and crop levels are closely monitored to ensure excellent flavour concentration in the grapes.

Grape varieties: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc

Recommended cellaring: 2-10 years

Food Pairing: This wine is a brilliant match for red meats, game and pasta dishes. A perfect partner for casseroled lamb shanks or with scotch fillet, roasted rare.