The Steven's Road Cabernet Sauvignon is usually finer and more lithe and elegant than the powerfully structured and dense Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, in this warm and low-yielding 2020 season, the 2020 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon brings levity and suppleness to the glass, with cassis, star anise, freshly crushed blackberries, pomegranate molasses and dark chocolate. This is earthy and spicy, with brilliant persistence of fruit that carries through to the finish. A svelte wine. So pretty. Fine grit tannins. Ductile. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The fruit for the 2019 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon is from the vineyard on Stevens Road (a prestigious address: both Voyager and Leeuwin Estate driveways are opposite). As is usual for the site, it has produced a pure, fine and mineral expression of Cabernet, with notes of cassis, blackcurrant pastille, aniseed, fennel flower, lemon myrtle, fresh oregano and bay leaf. It is supple and perfectly medium-bodied, with a juicy line of pomegranate and cranberry wisps through the finish. Weightless, yet unavoidably powerful, this will live an age.

Likely the single greatest year in Margaret River's modern history, the 2018 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon combines powerful, ripe fruit with balanced acids and supple tannins. The wines are moving into a very serious space currently: many have dropped the exuberant smiles of youth and are in the process of evolving into very structural, complex wines. This is on the precipice of the next stage of life.

There was a lot done in the vineyard in 2017 to mitigate some of the vagaries of weather, and as a result, the production this year was significantly reduced. However, most importantly, the purity of the fruit and resolution of tannin was absolutely achieved, and the 2017 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon remains incredibly fresh today. This may sound like a pointless observation, given the wine is only five years old at this point, however many Cabernets have already started to move into very tertiary spaces, proving that in "challenging/variable" years such as 2017, it is important to be selective. This has years left to go. Fine slippery tannins. Floral.

The 2016 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon is meaty, dense and closed, with savory spice on the nose: cumin, star anise, fennel and aniseed alongside sumac and even a touch of ras el'hanout. In the mouth, the wine is pure and fresh, speaking of cassis bramble, salted pomegranate and licorice. This will live an age.