December 30, 2023 - Deep garnet.
Aromas of cassis, red currant, plum jam, coffee, wet grass, leather, cedar and stock cube.
Full body
Coarsely grained, chewy tannins. Blackcurrant acids and espresso bitterness.
Palate of blackcurrant jam, plum, thyme, sandalwood, menthol and forest floor.
A fruity, fresh and attractive cabernet with jammy fruit, delicate nutty and grassy aromas and rather long bittersweet finish. Drink within 10 years. Tasted 2023. Tasted alongside Penfolds bin 707, 1994. In comparison, the matched wine was muscular, deeper and a more complex wine, yet the present wine will most likely evolve into a great, subtle and multi-layered cab sauv over time.
July 30, 2022 - Deep dark ruby with no signs of bricking, nice open nose, dark berries and forest floor dominate. Big body with Darcy fruit well balanced with some acidity and well resolved tannins. Drinking perfectly but cold easily cellar for another 5 years.
May 28, 2022 - Drinking beautifully right now. Big bold dark fruit on the nose with some mature flavors coming through, full body with some residual grippy tannins. This will hold a few more years for sure, but I don't see any reason to wait.
January 24, 2022 - Big and bold with tannins still very evident. Drinking well but can cellar for a couple more years.
November 29, 2021 - Gave to Jordan and ryan
November 27, 2021 - Drank side by side with 2009, which was much better at this stage. Decanted for 1 hr but needed 2 until started to open up. Was solid, but would have rather let it have a few years.
August 1, 2021 - Drinking spectacularly right now (IMHO).
Opened an hour prior to drinking. It got even better over the next two hours and then seemed to fade a bit (or it was just better with food).
Last bottle of this vintage. :(
February 25, 2021 - Mostly mineral and plum on the nose. On the palate I initially got a distinct prune flavor, and wasn't sure whether to chalk that up to age or heat damage. The note did dissipate with air, but never fully went away. If this bottle is representative, this wine is certainly on the downslope, which is both surprising and disappointing. I know it's not Insignia, but expected a bit more.
February 10, 2021 - I enjoyed this win in the past. It now seems to have lost some of its grip. Tannins seem to be fading. Glad this is my last bottle. Drink now.
June 13, 2020 - Meh