2017 Thelema Rabelais

Community Tasting Notes (1)

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  9/14/2020 - David Strange Likes this wine:

  I just had a taste of this to see if it would benefit from decanting. It seems pretty tannic, but not overly extracted, so I have double-decanted and I will report on my next taste in 45 minutes.
  
  Well, I am not reporting on my next taste, I am reporting on my last glass of my half of the bottle because, bugger me, I am really enjoying this Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon! It may be a shade boozy but, by arse, it is fabulous. I would suggest anyone buying flash super-second-type 2019 Claret to save some money and buy Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon, you will have just as sophisticated, but a more fun time.
  
  OK, the tasting note thing. Initially it was a tiny bit cold as I had put it in the fridge before and after I decanted it (as it is a warm day in Winchester) and this had made the wood stand out a little bit.
  
  However, I thought it seemed too chilled so I warmed my glass in my hands and, lo, balance and harmony were restored. The oak is perfectly well-integrated, especially if you consider that this is a young wine. It shows as cedar-y with shades of aged Havana cigar.
  
  There are pencil shavings and a distinct aroma of the graveliness one gets with quality Claret. This Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon has complexity and real class on the nose.
  
  There is more than enough fruit too. It is not the preserved blackcurrants of crème de cassis as most international Cabernet Sauvignons show, but freshly plucked and crushed blackcurrants that burst with summer sun ripened freshness. Deeee-lish, this Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon.
  
  The thing that I really enjoyed on the nose as I flew through my half of the bottle was that all the aromas were in wonderful harmony with each other. There is a stable equilibrium of all the components as I have sniffed this, particularly now it is not at fridge temperature. It is absolutely glorious!
  
  I have been surprised by how much I enjoyed the palate of this wonderful Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon as well. The first thing that grabbed me about it was its energy and life.
  
  The acidity is really well judged, and I do not think it has been added with a shovel a la New Zealand Pinot Noir. It is so integrated with the rest of the palate I would say it has to be, largely at the very least, naturally derived. I think that is thanks, in part, to the Petit Verdot.
  
  I found this acidity suffused the wood- and fruit-derived tannins to create a vigorous and totally compelling structure. It is both lively and supportive of the fruit.
  
  The palate of the Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon has really fresh, but luxurious fruit. It is charged with life from the acidity and from being picked whilst ripe than overripe. I am frankly amazed by how much I am enjoying this.
  
  There is a graveliness to the palate of the Rabelais Cabernet Sauvignon as well. This is an involute example of the Cabernet Sauvignon-genre. It is very Claret-y, but… god damn it, it is more interesting. I am amazed I am saying this about something I expected to be just a little ordinary.
  
  On the finish of this Rabelais there is a powerful mineral/gravel grip and the fruit just lasts and lasts. I am not a tit-ish wine writer who says things like, “This finish was 60+ seconds long!”, but this has prodigious length after you swallow and it still leaves you feeling the breadth of the fruit and tannin. Just wow!

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