Pertaringa Cabernet Sauvignon scores 99 points from James Halliday

Just weeks after announcing she has taken over ownership of her father’s 40-year-old wine brand, Pertaringa, Bec Hardy, is celebrating a near-perfect score from Australia’s most influential wine critic.

James Halliday afforded the 2017 vintage of the Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon with a 99-point score, a rarely bestowed near perfect result.

Halliday described it as a “marvellous wine, fluid, juicy and vibrant, with a very long finish, the tannins a gossamer web”.

The Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon comes from what Halliday has previously referred to as a ‘pocketchief size’ single vineyard at the Blewitt Springs home of Bec Hardy and her husband, co-MD Richard Dolan, from where its name originates.

Hardy comments, “This 99-point score for our treasured Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is the icing on the cake in a month filled with milestones”.

“Having taken over from my parents just a few weeks ago, it’s so rewarding that we can collectively share this honour.

“We know this wine is something special but having someone as revered as James Halliday agreeing with us is testament to the hard work of the viticulture and winemaking teams involved.

“It’s even more touching for us, knowing the grapes were sourced directly from the vineyard on our property, which we see as the natural home of Bec Hardy Wines. As we celebrate 40 years of Pertaringa, this 99-point score highlights what we have always worked towards achieving: to craft exceptional wines that truly reflect the special pocket of the world that is McLaren Vale.”

Along with the 99-point score for the 2017 Tipsy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, James Halliday also bestowed a 97-point score on the 2017 Yeoman Shiraz and a 95-point rating for the 2017 Pertaringa ‘Over the Top’ Shiraz.

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