Cool Wine Tasting Group - New World Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine group based in Elgin that compares different wines with Elgin equivalents—most of the time...

• 2010 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Leston 88 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  A mid-deep ruby red colour running to intense black-red edges.
  Aromas of cassis, syrup, brown sugar, and molasses are evident, accompanied by sandalwood and dewberry, in a deep, brooding, bold style reminiscent of Australian Barossa wines.
  The palate is richly textured and ripe, offering intense notes of soft blueberry, dewberry, and cassis with a slight eucalypt note. Sweet and silky tannins make this a smooth and approachable wine, if not complex. Reasonably long, the wine closes with a meaty, menthol-dominated finish.

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• 2010 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  A medium to deep ruby-black colour. The nose offers blackcurrant, mint, black olive, powdered chocolate, graphite and some light herbs - classic Cabernet! Rich and deep on entry, the wine is intense with energetic acidity and a powdery texture. Within it lies a core of sweet black fruits accented by a savoury note and a touch of raisin and balsamic.
  Polished and well-made, this full-bodied wine has the lift and freshness to be a cooler spot for Cabernet. It has a decent concentration of sweet, grippy tannins, reasonable length, and lovely purity, closing on cassis, wild hedgerow, and graphite.
  14% abv.

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• 2010 Belfield Cabernet Sauvignon Magnifica Elgin 86 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

  It is a mid- to deep black-red colour, offering smoky and savoury aromas, with a touch of fresh rubber before some blackcurrant, toast, and savoury spice came into view. The palate is ripe and extracted, sinewy with chewy tannins yet very approachable. Some chocolate joins the toasty oak, and the wine has a sweetness to the mid-palate. It has a fairly full body and an intense style that lacks both complexity and finishes relatively short.
  13.5% ABV

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• 2010 Quintessa 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

  (Tasted Blind) A deep, opaque purple-black, this wine has heady aromas of raisin, damson, cedarwood, and prune fruit. It shows a super ripe and slightly over-matured character typical of Napa Cabernets. It enters the palate with a soft, plush texture and a glut of ripe blackberry and cassis, while melted chocolate sensations coat the mid-palate, giving the wine a luxurious mouthfeel. Overall, the wine has fabulous concentration, is medium to full-bodied, and has a good balance of ripe fruit and spicy oak framed by dense powdery tannins. A long, seamless length, this polished wine works surprisingly well with its overripe fruits. Highly drinkable!
  Sourced from 18 vineyard blocks. Mostly CS, possibly some other varietals. Bunch sort using an optical sorter, 6 people pulling out stems and jacks to avoid any green, matured the wines in 3000 new barrels. 14.5% alcohol. $6800 per ton. 1150 tons.

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• 2009 World's End Cabernet Sauvignon If Six Was Nine Reserve 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  (Tasted Blind) A deep, intense black-red colour. The initial aromas are odd, with a cardboard, almost corky element that blows off to reveal stewed black fruit, raisin, and dried cherry.
  This is a rich, deep, brooding entry with dominant notes of cassis, blueberry, damson, and raisin. It leans towards the overripe, dead fruit style from Australia, supported by a rum-and-raisin ice cream note.
  Great concentration, the tannins are powdery and soft, and the acid lively. The mid-palate has some enhancing notes of chocolate, cinnamon spice and black olive that appealed whilst the alcohol was quite spicy and noted. The structure relied on alcohol and didn't have the depth of clarity of a top example. But a crowd-pleaser that closed with notes of blue fruit and asphalt.
  94% CS with a touch of Merlot and CF. Alc: 14.8%

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• 2009 Elgin Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon 84 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

  (Tasted Blind) A deep black-red in colour. The nose is smoky, savoury, and rubbery.
  The palate reveals spicy, sun-exposed cooked fruit with intense blackcurrant flavours, though it also feels briary with grappa notes, indicating overripeness. Sweet, big, and sticky, this wine has a lively acidity but rather slushy, shapeless tannins. It lacks the clarity and precision that might elevate it.
  14% ABV

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• 2009 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley 89 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  (Tasted Blind) A deep black-red colour. Fresh, pure aromas of black and red fruit, liquorice, black olive, menthol, eucalyptus, and mint, alongside hints of molasses and brown sugar. The palate follows suit in flavours and opens with a very sweet palate that is bold, buxom, with a jelly-like texture that lacks structure and definition. The eucalypt, mint, Ribena and blackcurrant cordial reflect a Barossa style CS. The mid palate is bulbous in shape, while the back palate falls away quickly, leaving a trail of molasses, spice and brown sugar. Doesn't feel top tier.

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• 2009 World's End Cabernet Sauvignon CrossFire Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  (Tasted Blind) A deep black-red colour with intense aromas of milk chocolate, ripe blackcurrant, blueberry jam, and mocha with some toasty oak spices.
  The entry is polished and concentrated, with a succulent texture, underlying creaminess and richness, a robust frame, and generous alcohol. Some medium acidity and snow-powder tannins give structure. Classic Napa Cabernet: The wine is opulent and plush, filled with raisin, blackberry, and cassis and dunked in melted chocolate/mocha. Ambitious, the wine is well-balanced and works together, closing drier as the tannic finally takes hold.

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• 2008 RingBolt Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  (Tasted Blind) It is black-red in colour. It opens with savoury, meaty, charcoal, and tomato box notes before it segues to blackcurrant, cigar leaf, and earth.
  A rich, intense entry with umami notes, this full-bodied wine has a mineral-edged acidity that, together with its dense powdery tannins, gives some shape to the mid-palate. Plenty of earth-coated fruit, raisins, brown sugar and cassis with a creamy mid-palate add depth and complexity. Fairly generous, the wine finishes long and with a slightly wet clay clamminess. I was thinking Coonawarra, but it's in Western Australia.
  Matured 12 months in French and US hogsheads and barriques

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• 2009 de Trafford Cabernet Sauvignon 78 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind) Ruby to black in colour. The nose is very savoury, with burnt rubber, singed charcoal, and feral, horsy notes suggesting Brett. The palate augments the nose, adding some green, vegetal characters and a medicinal "Elastoplast" character that overwhelms any positive qualities it might have.

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• 2008 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  (Tasted Blind) A deep to opaque black-purple. Bold aromas of cassis, Ribena, and demerara sugar with that up-front Barossa styling.
  The palate concurs with a richly ripe spice-infused palate but has a more lively acidity, savoury olive tapenade and a lifted mid-palate that could push towards Coonawarra. Excellent fruit depth with concentration and velvety tannins that lead off into the distance as it waves farewell. Complex, this is a very smart Aussie wine that manages to balance richness with structure and is very satisfying.
  Screwcap.

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