Community Tasting Note

sid_loves_wine Likes this wine:

Monday, July 11, 2022 - Was kind of surprised by this- not that I didn't think I would enjoy it, but that it feels like a surprisingly serious and even complex Cab Sauv for under $20. It's not perfectly balanced nor super expressive, but it's certainly the real deal for the price point.

The gentle but present nose shows that nicely integrated earthy green tone I've found in the (very few) previous wines I've had from Coonawarra. "Nicely integrated" is key here, never getting in the way of the fruit. Difficult to pinpoint exact fruits on nose, but I got a combination of spiced black plum, currants, chocolate raisins, black licorice, even touches of leather and cigar. That tiny green streak is really nice and VERY subtle, and I'm very sensitive to overly green notes (pyrazines.)

Palate is definitely less interesting than the nose, but shows a similar earthy tobacco shade accompanying red and black plum, a touch of sour cherry, slightly brighter fruits, a little warmer and rounder than the cool, earthy nose. Still, I wouldn't call it "hot", and the 14% ABV feels relatively balanced, especially with a super tiny chill on the bottle (I mean 20 mins in the fridge.) Tannins are a little coarse and dusty, but not super aggressive.

This was even better on day 2, and was enjoyable enough on night 1. I wish I'd had it with a burger or something. If you find this for $15 or less it's VERY hard to beat for the grape, more like 94 on my scale- $20 brings a lot of tough competition, but even then it's quite strong. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised considering the quality of their lodge hill Riesling. Time to try their other wines. This was at the same level of QPR as the tasty and barely more expensive Mr. Riggs Coonawarra Cab, which felt a little more austere on the nose but showed an overall similar profile, and which showed slightly more presence/energy on the palate.

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