June 8, 2020 - Wow. I've never tasted a wine like this before ...
Dark crimson, opaque but a hint of orange brick color on the edges. Forceberry nailed it with his description of "ripe yet not sweet" on the nose. Dry, green on the palate - lots of fruit - but it's not sweet. Very tight for a seven year old wine. Reminds me of drinking a rich Aussie cabernet mixed with green twigs. This has nothing in common with some of the bad bordeaux I have drunk - it's not thin, it has heat and is very dry. Lots of tannins with a green, bitter aftertaste. I don't much like it but I feel inspired to go buy a pork or lamb chop to see if it tastes better. Otherwise I will be cooking with this ;-)
January 24, 2020 - 14,2% alcohol, 1,2 g/l residual sugar, 7,5 g/l acidity and pH 3,48. Aged in old American oak barrels for 20 months.
Dark, almost fully opaque blackish-red color with a pale blood-red rim. The nose is ripe yet not sweet with intense aromas of juicy cassis, some minty nuances of peppermint toothpaste, a little bit of licorice, light green notes of eucalyptus and leafy herbaceous character, a hint of fresh red plum and a touch of savory wood spice. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and rather sinewy on the palate with an angular, structure-driven overall feel and intense flavors of fresh sour cherries and crunchy blackcurrants, some minty notes of peppermint toothpaste, light mineral notes of hot stones, a little bit of fresh redcurrants, a hint of savory wood spice and a touch of tobacco. The high alcohol lends a little bit of warmth to the mouthfeel and the overall feel is really tightly-knit with the fresh, high acidity and still quite assertive and grippy tannins. The finish is dry, tannic and quite savory with intense flavors of woody spice, fresh blackcurrants, some meaty umami, a little bit of peppery spice and paprika powder, a hint of juicy red plums and a touch of minty herbal character.
A very attractive, structure-driven and dead-serious Cab with lots of emphasis on dry, savory fruit and minerality, not on excessive ripeness or overdone oak. Although clocking at 7 years of age, the wine is still remarkably youthful and seems to be more about future potential than immediate pleasure. Most likely the wine is going to take another 10-15 years before hitting its peak. Built for the long haul; expect the score to go up with age. Simply ridiculous value at 13,50€.
November 20, 2017 - Boisé à l'avant plan avec des fruits compotés, des notes de réduction aussi. Moyen.
October 9, 2017 - Cabernet qui joue sur l'oxydatif / boisé (20 mois en futs américains), ce qui le prive de pas mal de finesse mais c'est un style, c'est complexe avec des tanins doux, facile, court
August 30, 2017 - Happy Cabernet Day!
I found the nose be quite closed initially - dark fruits, currants, subtle tobacco.
First words that came to mind for the palate were "juicy" and "silky". Dark fruits are vibrant, underripe blackberries, blueberries. Tannins are crisp and carrying the tobacco leaves and bell peppers nicely. It certainly coats the whole palate and hangs around for a long time. A delicious wine with plenty more years to go.
June 12, 2017 - Poured 300ml in to a pot for venison casserole, and didn't have a taste or even a sniff til the next day. At that point... cassis, blackberry bush, dark chocolate, strict drying tannins, pretty good balance and length.
March 13, 2017 - {screwcap, 14.2%} A chance to examine this a bit more closely. Most of my observations from the Sydney Show still hold; there's plenty of ripe red fruit evident here, without speaking especially of cabernet. There's a bit of a burnt rubber/malt/tar character to this; it's a bit raisiny too. Not unpleasant, but not varietal, except for just a passing hint of something dark green and briary. Some acidity evident, oak isn't obvious, but there are some slightly artificial-tasting grainy tannins at a medium level. Dry finish, medium/long, and nicely-balanced along the tongue too. It's a hell of a good wine for the price, but not really more than that; you shouldn't mistake it for something three times the price. I suspect it will improve - really improve - over the next 3-5 years, so it's worth keeping a while.
July 8, 2016 - 2016 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting & Trophy Wines Lunch (Olympic Park, Homebush): (gold medal; 95p) {screwcap, A$18} The 2013 Cabernet class saw nine golds awarded, only one of which was pointed higher than this, easily the cheapest of the bunch. For context, the class had 114 entries. Expecting something, er, unexpected, I was left struggling to understand this verdict. This has a smooth blackberry nose, plenty ripe enough, and although not terribly ‘cabernet’, it’s very McLaren Vale. It’s pretty big too; medium/full-bodied in weight with medium/high somewhat gritty tannins; it’s surprisingly tannic for a wine at this price, given that ‘easy drinkability’ seems to be the watchword in this market segment. Big, ripe blackberry flavours, not too much oak, medium length. It’s a good, and one that might go half-a-dozen years happily, but not quite the quality bargain you might think looking at the show results.