"It’s a pretty Australian thing calling a wine ‘Doug’s Vineyard’, no fancy domaine this or that or something aspiration. Just a piece of dirt with some vines in it that a bloke called Doug farms in Macedon Ranges, Victoria. This feels like it comes from a ‘Mac Forbes pick’, in that the wine is quite bony, reluctant and tight, lean and lower in alcohol, firm and unyielding in its youth. That being said, it feels like there’s lots of detail in the wine, and, importantly, it sure is vibrant. Scents of wet fern, fresh picked green herb, just ripe cranberries, cardamom and, curiously, Worcestershire sauce. The palate is more straight laced, red cherries, sour-ish though, more of that caradmon and some clove spice, blood orange acidity and something ferrous to close in the whisper of light, puckering tannins. It’s racy and strict, pale in its personality, you could say a little thin, but all the detail is there. Needs time, but is beautiful in its shy, quiet way."
- Mike Bennie