As the name suggests, this wine is crafted from the best grapes the estate has to offer. John Parker believed it could rival the First Growths of Bordeaux, and from its first release it did, and continues to do so. First Growth is only produced in vintages where fruit quality and varietal typicity is deemed to be exceptional.

The Parker Estate ‘Abbey’ vineyard is located on the southern end of the region’s famous strip of terra rossa soil and is predominantly planted to Reynell Selection Cabernet Sauvignon — original cuttings from Bordeaux.  These vines, planted in 1985, are the backbone of our First Growth. Our region benefits from the cooling influence of the Southern Ocean, so we enjoy an extended ripening period which gives wonderful fruit expression, depth and complexity.

Reviews

Never has a new release Cabernet Sauvignon captivated me as much as this First Growth from Parker Coonawarra Estate. Elegance, detail and supreme sophistication, this 2021 release is exceptional.  Measured and balanced to every degree, its class seeps from every pore…Blackcurrants, blackberries and blackberry pastilles drive the fruit profile as mint, bay leaf and olive leaf play excellent support roles. Dried herbs and soft spices emerge with time in the glass but the delicately fluent and silky shape cannot be outdone. The oak is handled perfectly and melts into the frame with sheer ease, leaving enough savoury delight to muse over. A wine that has been harpooned back to the top tier where it belongs, this is winemaker Ox Hardy at his best.

98 points, Steve Lescynski, Q Wine

This is another Do I? or Don’t I? Kind of wine from Parker Estate.  To open now is to enjoy a Cabernet Sauvignon already in balance early in its life. It’s slow moving, building with time in the glass and with contact with air, but once it’s ready to go, it’s got it, looking very much in the regional zone. Enticing black fruits to the fore, crushed herbs and leaves, red earth with blackstrap liquorice which takes the wine long into the finish. Thoroughly ripened, fruit is well supported by oak and woody spices which remain a background note that sits comfortably with the wine, another layer to explore in what is a complex young beauty. Even tannins seal the deal. Yes, you can drink now. You can also drink later.

96 points, Jeni Port, Wine Pilot