2025 Dash Farms Cabernet Sauvignon

Planted 1999, Dash Farms sits perched at over 450m asl on the Southern granitic slopes of Mt Alexander (Leanganook) looking back towards Mt Macedon and the Macedon Ranges. Like Ray-Monde, it sits just outside the Macedon Ranges GI. An extremely late ripening site for Cabernet Sauvignon, the fruit was harvested in late April.
Hand-harvested with strict fruit sorting in the vineyard, bunches were then 100% de-stemmed anpartially foot crushed before loading into open fermenters where they remained for three weeks. The must was allowed to soak until natural fermentation commenced and then extracted with a combination of pumping over, delestage and pigeage before basket pressing. Elevage took place in a combination of new Stockinger 300l (20%) and seasoned thin staved Bordeaux coopered barriques for 12 months, before four months in stainless steel after assemblage.

"These are wines of incredible detail and complexity. Everything this man does is detailed and complex.Joshua’s technical sheets for his wines are works of art..."

- Matthew Jukes,MatthewJukes.com (UK)

"Occasionally, a winemaker comes along who has the gift of presence and crafts compelling wines. JoshCooperis one … such a talent, he could choose anywhere to make wine, yet Macedon Ranges is home."

- Jane Faulkner, The Wine Companion​

"Gary Farr (By Farr), Joshua Cooper and Robert Walters (Place of Changing Winds) should be changing perceptions of Australian wine. These are in many cases delicate, elegant, refined wines that deliver classic varietal expression and defy old stereotypes."

- Joe Czerwinski, RobertParker.com (USA)

"Josh Cooper’s wines are classic, medium-weight expressions of elegance and purity, with an Old World self-confidence and a carefully measured degree of winemaking input."

- Jeremy Oliver, Oliver's Wines

"Josh has established his own reputation as not only one of the region’s emerging talents but one of the best young winemakers in the country."

- Ken Gargett, The World of Fine Wine (UK)

"There’s an authenticity to his wines, a command, and a life."

- Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion

"Joshua Cooperis a compelling talent; his thoughtful, low-intervention approach is yielding some truly exceptional, terroir-driven wines."

- Huon Hooke, The Real Review

"...Using grapes bought in from carefully chosen, non-mainstream sources ... however difficult the bottles may be to get into, their contents are pretty impressive."

- Jancis Robinson (UK)

Halliday Wine Companion - Best New Winery of the Year (2024)