Superb cool-climate Cabernet. Drunk after magnificent Cabernets from Ridge and Leoville LC the previous weekend, this felt in their league, but more herbaceous. Tightly wound, with bright and focused black currant, tightly knit French oak elevage, stern tannins, and quite bright acid, at age 15, this wine is evolving very slowly. My feeling is that it will always be a bright wine, but it does not appear that the fruit is going to fall away any time too soon. Very classy. A fabulous example of how far NZ has come with Cabernet.
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Unattractive nose, no fruit. Like a dusty floor, with the odd mouse dropping. Fortunately this doesn’t carry through to the palate.
Very savoury, dense core of black fruit, not very Cabernet, not very kiwi. Think St Estephe certainly not Margaux or Pauillac. Actually more think Fronsac.
So much bottle variation!
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Gave it some air but a little cooked sadly. Tasted ok if a little lacking in fruit but the whiff of old stewed fruit never blew off which affected the wine each time I went for a sip. Perhaps just an off bottle.
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Dense and dark fruited medium bodied wine. Quite muscular and still a little simple, feels like it’s got more to show. Just in to the excellent range. I wanted more time with this wine. Great to have one under a good cork, I’ve had a poor run with Te Mata corks.
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6/7/2023 - Marc wrote: 93 Points
Superb cool-climate Cabernet. Drunk after magnificent Cabernets from Ridge and Leoville LC the previous weekend, this felt in their league, but more herbaceous. Tightly wound, with bright and focused black currant, tightly knit French oak elevage, stern tannins, and quite bright acid, at age 15, this wine is evolving very slowly. My feeling is that it will always be a bright wine, but it does not appear that the fruit is going to fall away any time too soon. Very classy. A fabulous example of how far NZ has come with Cabernet.
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11/13/2022 - ProfByron wrote: 87 Points
Unattractive nose, no fruit. Like a dusty floor, with the odd mouse dropping. Fortunately this doesn’t carry through to the palate.
Very savoury, dense core of black fruit, not very Cabernet, not very kiwi. Think St Estephe certainly not Margaux or Pauillac. Actually more think Fronsac.
So much bottle variation!
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7/7/2022 - rosuoter Does not like this wine:
My last bottle and the weakest one. Sort of a very tired New World Bordeaux blend.
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7/3/2022 - DFBW wrote: 87 Points
Gave it some air but a little cooked sadly. Tasted ok if a little lacking in fruit but the whiff of old stewed fruit never blew off which affected the wine each time I went for a sip. Perhaps just an off bottle.
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10/23/2021 - Screwcaps Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dense and dark fruited medium bodied wine. Quite muscular and still a little simple, feels like it’s got more to show. Just in to the excellent range. I wanted more time with this wine. Great to have one under a good cork, I’ve had a poor run with Te Mata corks.
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