Margaret River is widely regarded as one of the premier locations in Australia for growing Bordeaux varieties, and Bruce Dukes’ Domaine Naturaliste wines are gorgeous representations of the distinctive geography and huge winemaking potential of the region. Surrounded by the Indian Ocean on three sides, Margaret River is a relatively young region, with winemaking beginning in the late 1960s, but the area is blessed with ancient soils and a gentle maritime climate that allows grapes to easily achieve optimal ripeness. The region also delivers some of the best values in the world in regard to Bordeaux-inspired wines, and the 2019 Domaine Naturaliste “Morus” Cabernet Sauvignon is a prime example of this. Now with over five years of age, still-youthful red fruit notes (red currant, Santa Rosa plum) swirl together in the glass, balanced by more savory dried green herbs, cocoa powder and button mushroom, all tied together by highly finessed, elegant French oak undertones that provide the perfect balance, neither overpowering nor eliminating the sense of terroir in the wine. At well under $50 per bottle, this is an unbelievable value that could easily best many examples from Napa or, dare I say it, even Bordeaux?

The nose already has some signs of a little bit of age, there's a little touch of oil-cured olive and a little bit of a loamy mushroom note deep in the background, along with some fresh green peppercorn pyrazines. All of those more savories are accompanying a nice rich black cherry and blackberry compote with just a little bit of thyme. There's also just a little touch of something pleasantly horsey, but it's just a player in this game, not a driving factor. The palate is really gorgeous with great acidity with some pretty savory notes, but there's a ton of fruit there still, rich and ripe blackberry and bramble-fruit, a little bit of raspberry playing in with the blackberry, the pyrazines are less present and it's more fruit-focused. The finish has some lingering barrel spice, a bit of cedarwood, and some pepper that all plays with what remains of the fruit, the savory slowly taking over until the finish is just a little bit toasty.