Community Tasting Notes 1

• Drinking Trees wrote: 94 points

  September 5, 2012 - A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. A sticker on the bottle read "Classic Wines of Australia / Qantas / Domestic Business Class Choice A". The back label advised that it "may be enjoyed either as a young wine or with a decade of bottle age". And here it is, 14 years from vintage. Here we go; fingers crossed.
  
  My first impression was that although this wine had retained strong fruit flavours, it had also developed some unattractive notes of dust and decay, and its structure was weak and disjointed. Within a few minutes of opening, however, the unattractive notes blew off, and the mouthfeel, though still fragile, became smooth. A strong, sweet entry features raspberry, cranberry and liqourice root, while the mid-palate is highly acidic. Strong, tea-like tannins give it a dry finish. There are hints of printer ink and black mushrooms. As well as being light-bodied and complex enough to enjoy on its own, it complemented a wide variety of foods. Drunk with Chinese stir-fry, it proved a terrific match for meat, capsicum, black bean sauce and black pepper (it wasn't the best match for the honey or baby corn, but you can't have everything).
  
  The cork was rock-solid with about 2mm of seepage, which may help to explain why this bottle has been preserved so well. Other bottles will not present nearly as well, but if you're lucky enough to have a good one, it could last for years.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1998
• Type Red
• Producer Coldstream Hills
• Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
• Designation Briarston
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Australia
• Region Victoria
• SubRegion Port Phillip
• Appellation Yarra Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 3 (50%)
• Consumed 3 (50%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine