The 2021 Murray Street Per Se is a premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot blend from Greenock in the Barossa Valley, representing one of the flagship wines of Murray Street Vineyards. Per Se is created through a rigorous block and barrel selection from the estate's two finest Cabernet parcels in its Greenock vineyard, with individual barrels selected not simply for concentration but for structure, aromatic detail and length. The final wine includes approximately 3% Petit Verdot, adding colour, floral lift and additional structural complexity to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Rather than pursuing the sheer richness often associated with Barossa reds, Per Se is intended to show a more refined, Cabernet-driven interpretation of Greenock, combining concentration with precision and tightly controlled tannins.
The 2021 opens with crème de cassis, blackberry and dark plum, followed by graphite, violet, paprika, fine cigar, cedar, dark cocoa and cinnamon-nutmeg spice. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated yet impressively controlled, with vibrant acidity and very fine, tightly structured tannins carrying the dark fruit through a long, savoury finish. The wine spent 14 months in French oak barriques, approximately 80% new, followed by another four months in a 30-hectolitre oval cask, allowing the powerful Cabernet fruit and oak structure to integrate before bottling. Critical reception has been excellent: Sam Kim at Wine Orbit awarded 97 Points, Ken Gargett 95 Points, Halliday Wine Companion 94 Points and Mike Bennie at The Wine Front 92+ Points.
