87 Points Robert Parker
Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc has a meaty, gamey nose built around a core of maturing prune, espresso and incense aromas. Medium to full-bodied with plenty of flesh in the mid-palate framed by firm, somewhat harsh tannins, it finishes with a good length of savory, earthy flavors, if a little hard. Drink it now to 2017+.
Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Lisa Perrotti-Brown. April, 2014
94 Points James Halliday
A 64/36% blend matured for 22 months in 70% new French oak. Bright, light hue, still youthful; a complex wine from start to finish, the bouquet expressive, the medium-bodied palate with many messages of savoury red fruits, black olive and briar, corralled by fine, but persistent, tannins. Drink to 2024.
Source: James Halliday. March, 2022
88 Points Hooke
Medium to full red colour with a slight purple tint. Toasty oak and bottle-development bouquet; meaty, herbal and earthy aromas too, with a little residual oak vanilla. The palate is lean and a bit stringy, lacking fruit sweetness and flesh. Grippy tannins. There's a touch of hardness to it. Seems to be drying out already. Drink 2013 - 2025.
Huon Hooke, The Real Review. June, 2013