Excellent Langtons Classification. John Riddoch is made in small quantities from the best fruit grown to the estate's extensive plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon. Conceived as a flagship wine for the Wynns portfolio, it carries the name of the Coonawarra's founding father into the 21st century. Arguably richer and more concentrated than any other Coonawarra, made only in years when Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinarily high quality is available, less than one per cent of the most superior estate grown grapes are destined for inclusion into John Riddoch.

Wynns may be one of the oldest and most distinguished winemakers but there have been changes. Small fermenters, ranging in size from two to ten tonnes, enable the team to keep small vineyard parcels separate in a way that was just not possible before. Access to better quality oak has also made an influence. John Riddoch is a regional flagship from older blocks planted on their own roots in the 1960s and 1970s, cropped at a very low one or two tonnes per acre. Fermentations take place immediately after crushing over a period of five to eight days, after which the wine is pressed off at dryness, followed by fifteen months maturation in a balance of new and seasoned French oak barriques.