A Quarter-Century of Elegance from One of Australia's Most Celebrated Cabernet Labels

Orlando's St. Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Australia's most enduring fine wine icons — a label that has been defining premium Coonawarra Cabernet since its inaugural 1980 vintage. Named after Hugo Gramp, whose family helped shape the Australian wine industry across generations, St. Hugo draws on the finest Coonawarra fruit to produce a wine of genuine structure, depth, and remarkable longevity. The 2001 vintage was a standout year for South Australian Cabernet, delivering a long, cool growing season that produced wines of exceptional concentration, natural acidity, and fine-grained tannin structure. Now 25 years of age, this bottle has reached a level of complexity and integration that only time can deliver — a genuinely rare opportunity to experience a great Australian Cabernet at full maturity.

Tasting Notes

Deep garnet in the glass with a brick-tinged rim that speaks to a quarter-century of graceful evolution. The nose is hauntingly complex — dried blackcurrant, dark plum, and black olive layered with cedar, leather, tobacco leaf, and a classic Coonawarra eucalyptus lift. On the palate, the wine is medium-to-full bodied with silky, fully resolved tannins and a backbone of bright acidity that has kept it remarkably fresh. Flavours of dried dark cherry, graphite, dried herbs, and earthy complexity carry through to a long, savoury finish with lingering spice and mineral depth.

Style & Drinking Window

Fully mature and drinking beautifully now, with the tannins completely integrated and the wine showing at its most complex and expressive. Drink over the next 3–5 years to enjoy it at its peak. Decant for 30 minutes to allow the wine to open and reveal its full aromatic complexity.

Food Pairing

The silky tannins and dried dark fruit complexity of the 2001 St. Hugo make it a perfect match for Australian Sher Wagyu Sirloin M5 Steak from My Meat Man. The wine's cedar, graphite, and dried herb notes complement the extraordinary marbling and umami richness of M5 Wagyu beautifully — whether seared simply in a cast iron pan, finished with butter and thyme, or sliced and served medium-rare over the coals.

Why This Is a Smart Buy

At HK$288, the 2001 Orlando St. Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most compelling value propositions on our shelves. A fully mature, 25-year-old Coonawarra Cabernet from a celebrated label at this price is virtually unheard of — comparable aged Australian Cabernet from top estates regularly commands three to five times this price. This is a bottle to open on a special occasion and savour every drop.

Looking for a Different Style?

- 2020 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon — an elegant, structured Margaret River Cabernet with great finesse and regional character
- 2017 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon — a benchmark Margaret River Cabernet with dark fruit, cedar, and exceptional age-worthiness
- 2020 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon — one of Margaret River's most celebrated Cabernets, with extraordinary depth and precision