GT Wine Top Tasting WA Cabernets

Standard bun fight at Peter Bourne's tasting room.
Just a note on these tastings - they are based on the wines that Peter reviews for Gourmet Traveller (hence GT) magazine. Some wines are not the same vintage. .
I come in, number each wine and try not to look too closely at the bottles as I pour so you could say semi-blind (especially as I'm short sighted and don't wear my glasses) and, in this case, semi-WSET SAtT.

Wine region between Perth and Margaret River with Bunbury as the nearest big town

• 2008 Fuddling Cup Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalypt, herbs, black fruit over spice
  Mouth: Belchy black fruit, medium plus tannin, medium acid, medium long finish.
  Okay

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Wine region further south than Margaret River towards Denmark and Albany

• 2008 Plantagenet Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Great Southern

  Nose: Muted blackcurrant, cream, v.slight mint
  Mouth: Medium plus acid, medium tannin, blackcurrant and hot spice - capsicum and almost chilli. Weird.

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• 2008 West Cape Howe Cabernet Sauvignon Book Ends

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker

  Nose: Muted (and unripe) black currant. Minor eucalyptus.
  Mouth: Medium plus to high, coarse tannin. Hot alcohol. Medium minus acid. Blackfruit. Ugh.

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• 2007 Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon Jack Mann

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Frankland River

  Nose: mint and cream over blackcurrant/cassis
  Mouth: a little sour, medium, chewy tannin, medium acid. Lacks fruit on the palate.

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• 2008 Ferngrove Cabernet Sauvignon Majestic

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Frankland River

  Nose: Blackcurrant, cream, spice, cedar
  Mouth: Medium plus tannin and acid, medium minus flavour intensity that shows blackcurrant and spice.
  Okay

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The main region of WA and rightly famous for it's Cabernet's.

• 2009 Brookland Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus, mint, cream, herb, blackcurrant and something floral and perfumed
  Mouth: Wet and tough - coarse medium plus tannin and medium minus body. Medium acid.

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• 2009 McHenry Hohnen Cabernet Merlot

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Medium minus intensity showing eucalyptus and black fruit
  Mouth: bitter, burnt jam. High tannin

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• 2009 Higher Plane South by Southwest Cabernet Merlot

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Perfumed slight red and black fruit over sweet spices.
  Mouth: Medium minus body. Medium plus to high acid and tannin overlies the fruit.
  Okay

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• 2008 Moss Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus and mint, blackcurrant and spice.
  Mouth: Medium to medium plus tannin and acid, nice fruit.
  Simple rather than complex. Okay.

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• 2008 Robert Oatley Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Hot over slight herb, meat and black fruit
  Medium: Bitter tannin dominates.

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• 2008 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Moss Wood Vineyard

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Cream, black fruit and sweet spice
  Mouth: Medium tannin, medium plus acid, black fruit perhaps a little jammy. Overall the impression is a little muted.
  Okay

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• 2009 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Leston

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Muted black currant - ripe not jammy
  Mouth: high tannin over slightly sour fruit. In fact the tannin completely dominates everything.

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• 2008 Gralyn Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Blackcurrant and yeast extract and some meatiness. Cream, butter, herbs - mint and touches of leather.
  Mouth: Medium tannin, medium plus acid - a little noxious over black fruit. The tannin is chalky and grips the front of the mouth.

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• 2004 Heydon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon W.G. Grace Single Vineyard

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Subdued eucalyptus, blackcurrant, cherry, meatiness over sweet spice
  Mouth: Medium tannin and acid, slightly sour blackcurrant.
  Hmm.

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• 2004 Brookland Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus, mint, herb, bramble.
  Mouth: Medium plus tannin and far too much herbaceous on the palate.

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• 2007 Arlewood Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Porty alcohol, creme de cassis comes through as well.
  Mouth: Tannin, dull. Ugh.
  Not very good.

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• 2009 Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon Wisdom

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Cream, blackcurrant over mint, sweet spice and tiny eucalyptus
  Mouth: Slightly jammy, talcy tannin...not much acid. A bit simple.
  Okay.

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• 2008 Edwards Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Volatile acidity, black fruit and a bit sulfurous.
  Mouth: Medium minus body. Blackfruit, slightly astringent.
  Kind of interesting. Okay.

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• 2006 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus, mint, blackcurrant, cream, coffee, leather and sweet spice
  Mouth: Drying black fruit, eucalyptus, mint, bramble, toast and cedar.
  Nice, very nice.

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• 2008 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Muted eucalyptus, mint, blackcurrant, toast and biscuit.
  Mouth: Blackcurrant, medium plus tannin, gritty and chewy.

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• 2008 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Burnt, smoke, toast, spice over black fruit
  Mouth: Little bit bland and one dimensional. Not much of anything - medium minus flavour intensity at best. There are hints of cream, butter and blackfruit. Short finish.

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• 2008 Woodlands Margaret

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus and jammy black fruit, sweet spice, white pepper over slight mint.
  Mouth: Medium plus tannin, slightly bitter/dry black fruit.

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• 2008 Deep Woods Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Cream, blackcurrant, slightly jammy. Vanilla and spice.
  Mouth: Medium plus acid, cream, blackcurrant, spice and alcohol heat.
  Very nice.

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• 2008 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus, mint, blackfruit, cream, sweet spice and perfume. Slight alcohol heat.
  Mouth: licorice, bitter. Oh dear.
  Nah.

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• 2005 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Eucalyptus, mint, burnt wood and cedar
  Mouth: Cream spice, black fruit, dry medium tannin and acid. Well balanced.
  Nice.

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• 2007 Woodlands Cabernet Sauvignon Nicolas Reserve

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Cream, blackcurrant, fruit, hints of plum, biscuit and sweet spice.
  Mouth: Medium minus body and flavour intensity. Medium, talcy tannin and medium, integrated acidity. Good sweet spice.
  Very nice.

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• 2008 Higher Plane Cabernet Sauvignon

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Nose: Subdued eucalyptus almost mineral/stone over brambly fruit
  Mouth: wet, tannic - medium to medium plus but intrusive, slightly burnt, little tough.

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I'm a big Margaret River fan but most of these don't really work for me. The stand outs for me were the Leeuwin Estate, Voyager Estate and the Woodlands...which isn't really surprising. But the Deep Woods was also impressive. I'm not familiar with this winery at all but I think I'll be finding out a bit more about it and add some to the cellar.