10/23/2023 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Lovely deep colour. Full in the mouth whilst remaining tight. Good length. Mature without any sign of tiring. Drink by 2028. Decanted using a gentle aeration funnel two hours before drinking.

10/15/2023 - Cumberland wrote:

Deep red/purple colour in the decanter without any visible signs of age, and an earthiness to the bouquet. Beautifully silky smooth in the mouth, with a medium/full weight and great length. The wine is well balanced and drinking beautifully, still at its peak.

Opened with a Durand and decanted using a Venturi for two hours before drinking.

8/22/2023 - Cumberland wrote:

A 50/50 cabernet merlot drinking well now in August 2023. Medium bodied, rich and mouth filling with elegant tannins providing enough length and structure to savour. Decanted using the Venturi an hour or more before drinking.

6/19/2021 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

A first look at this vintage, and it was tight, even after a couple of hours in the decanter. It did not offer much of a bouquet during decanting through the Venturi but looked fabulous, deep and dark purple/black. As is usual with the Armagh there was plenty of sediment. A rich, ripe nose, plum and blackberry, was developing by the time we started drinking over dinner, but unusually it was not overly expressive. In the mouth the indications from the colour and nose proved true, a rich and smooth, mouth filling wine, with more black fruits. Not as long on the finish as I expect of the Armagh but very satisfying and still young. I will not look at it again for another three to five years.

5/24/2018 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Bright fresh garnet in the glass. Medium bodied, rich and full in the mouth, lovely and smooth, with a fine elegant finish. Not a dirty, forest floor pinot, this is fine and clean. Drinking beautifully now and is fresh enough to last for a least a couple more years. Sadly my last two bottles.

7/8/2017 - Cumberland wrote:

Still in great condition. Deep ruby, rich nose and smooth and full in the mouth. Aging but not tiring.

4/30/2017 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Drank the final four in January through April 2017. Would not keep it much longer.

3/29/2017 - Cumberland Does not like this wine:

Dull. Lacking fruit character, structure and length.

8/7/2016 - Cumberland wrote:

Restrained nose. Beautiful colour and depth. Very full and smooth and easy to drink. Lacking length and individual character. Toyota not Ferrari.

4/9/2016 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Intense nose; deep colour, no signs of tiredness; beautiful rich and full in the mouth, good length firm structure. Aerated 2hrs in advance of drinking. Absolutely delicious!

3/13/2016 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Heaven! Perfectly described by James Halliday.

3/8/2016 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Very, very good right now. Would keep longer but could it get better? I doubt it. Stop messing about and enjoy.

1/12/2016 - Cumberland Does not like this wine:

This bottle was completely dead. I decanted it an hour before drinking but it was lifeless. We opened something else and tried the Domaine A again an hour later... but nothing. This is a serious disappointment to someone looking for alternatives to Coonawarra, Margaret River and Hawkes Bay cabernet.

I had to think what the Python crew would have said. Fortinately I only had one bottle in the cellar, and for less than a year. It was bought from Langon's it as one of a six pack of iconic Aussie cabernet. This is the second time I have bought a special aged wine from Langtons and it was dead before its time. I doubt I will be buying any more aged wines from them. Possibly nothing more at all... after all there are too many other options.

11/3/2015 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Drinking well and unlikely to improve further.

10/22/2015 - Cumberland wrote:

Well made and without the overbearing characteristics often found in the is blend. Looks good in the glass but does not offer much for the nose and fronts up well in the mouth, but only for an all too brief moment. It lacks length and fades quickly leaving the tannic, suck the cheeks in, drying sensation along the sides of the mouth. Maybe too much French oak, although I wonder that perhaps the fruit is just not good enough.

10/21/2015 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully. At this tender age it is imperative to decant 2hrs ahead of drinking. It opens up amazingly. The last half glass was still bright and lively in the mouth 24hrs later.

9/22/2015 - Cumberland wrote:

Well made, if not exciting. Drinking well. Keep or consume by 2020.

9/13/2015 - Cumberland Does not like this wine:

There is no fruit left whatsoever. This wine is way past its use by date and I can only suggest using it in the kitchen.

8/22/2015 - Cumberland wrote:

My first look at this and I think this bottle was faulty. It was closed and dull on the nose and in the mouth perhaps even a little spritziness.

8/17/2015 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Delicious. Drinking superbly now but I like JH's drinking window.

6/18/2015 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

The last bottle of a vintage is always exciting and a little tense. This wine was in great shape. The beautiful rich blackberry bouquet from the bottle and initially in the decanter eased but remained the dominant aroma. It was deep purple with little, if any, signs of browning and, as expected, there was heavy sediment in the bottle. The sensation of blackberry continued on the palette together with firm tannins which smoothed out after resting the decanter for an hour or so. In the mouth it had a silky and full texture with lovely balance and structure. Great length with the tannins showing gently on the finish.

6/5/2015 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Way past its best. I suspect poorly cellared by others. Dry cork, dirty nose, brown colour out of the bottle, dull and lifeless in the decanter, good mouth feel but no fruit, slight tannins suggesting firmness and structure.

12/14/2014 - Cumberland Does not like this wine:

The oak is not restrained as claimed on the back label and overpowers the fruit.

10/27/2014 - Cumberland Does not like this wine:

Dull in the glass and on the nose although the wine is clear. Soft and a little chewy in the mouth showing no character and structure, perhaps too rich, almost a sweetness. Short palate leaves nothing to savour. Little evidence of varietal character. Bottle does not appear flawed. Cork clean and secure when removed. A very poor example of a pinot noir from anywhere.

10/14/2014 - Cumberland Likes this wine:

Straw coloured, bright and clear with overtones of light toasty oakiness on the nose. Beautifully rich and silky in the mouth it tastes fresh with deep fruit characters and a little oakiness providing a generous rich palette with a long, subtle finish.

9/29/2014 - Cumberland wrote:

The wine looks straw coloured. The body is light. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has low acidity.