Archive for the ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ Category
Saturday, December 12th, 2009
From the stable of the Barons de Rothschild, which in Bordeaux also includes Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Rieussec, Château L’Évangile, Château Paradis Casseuil and Château Peyre-Lebade. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Tasted over 2 nights, and to be honest was a bit like the stereotypical teenager: geeky and disjoint, gave nothing and just took took took. An odd nose: graphite, dried red currants, dusty cedar, milk chocolate, horse hair, pencilly oak with some cloves. A dry palate, some red curranty fruit, with vanilla pod, cinnamon quill, dry spices and dry herbs, and a barky finish. Savoury and red, and seems to be almost fighting against itself at the moment. Hopefully time with see it improve.
Rated : 88+? Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $90
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012+
Source : Cellar
Website : Lafite
Posted in $50 to $100, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, France, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
I picked this up from a friend at Fridays, and after 30 minutes in the fridge it was ready to rock’n'roll. Quite a rich nose, blackberries and dusty plums, tobacco and spices, all served up with a sliver of chocolate cake. The palate is smooth, showing black berries and cedar, liquorice, a touch of cola and leaf, with a hint of caramel on the finish. Tasty indeed, and almost slutty in its givingness. Lovely balance, liquid tannins and good persistence. A fine wine from the Granite Belt.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $50
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010-2016+
Source : Fridays
Website : Witches Fall
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Granite Belt, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
I like blends of Shiraz and Cabernet, and having enjoyed the 2006 Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon, I decided to have a punt on this one. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Shiraz, maturated for 16 months in a mix of seasoned and new French and American oak barrels. Four hours in the decanter. A very dark red/purple in colour. A nose showing dark berries and briary fruits, blackberries, with a touch of leaf, nutmeg and vanilla. The palate is stout, with deep seated black fruits, red currants, mocha and plump red cherries. Fairly tannic at the moment, but they are fine and ripe. Lots of promise. I should have kept some wine for a tasting on the second day, but I could not resist it. A six bottle buy for me.
Rated : 92+ Points
Tasted : Oct09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2014-2021
Source : WineStar
Website : Wynns
Posted in $20 to $50, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 7 Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
I ventured into Vintage Cellars to grab a bottle of this and a bottle of “Red Stripe” earlier in the week, and padded out the six pack with some Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone to get the six bottle discount. And into the decanter it went. A lurid purple in colour. A promising nose, dusty red currants, red berries, leaf, red liquorice and a touch of mint, which later evolved to also show some creaminess and coffee beans. The palate was restrained, with red currants, coffee beans and nutmeg, with some green beans on the finish. Tannins are drying; perhaps too much so. Left overnight it barely budged, and remained reticent and unconvincing. Now I am always hesitant to write a wine off, because this might come good, but it’s not a risk I will be taking.
Rated : 85 Points
Tasted : Oct09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $26
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2012-2017
Source : Vintage Cellars
Website : Wynns
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 5 Comments »
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
I found three bottles of this in an unmarked box in the cellar the other week, and given my experience with the 1999 version have promptly consumed 2 bottles. And most delicious they were.
Waves of curranty goodness with leaf, gravel and some savoury mint, almost like Vietnamese mint. The palate showed bright fruit backed by savoury stones, with rich and minerally red cherries and red currants. Super tannins, super length and really very enjoyable. Drink now, or cellar for another 5 years or so.
Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : Jul09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $35
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Devil’s Lair
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
A dark red/black in colour. The nose is dominated by black cherries, with secondary notes of sarsaparilla, leaf, mint, sweet oak and a touch of herbaceousness. The palate showed red currants and stalk, leafy red fruits and a touch of rawness on the finish. Overall, very smooth, with some robust flavours, and offers good value for money (assuming the quoted price is right). Drink over the short term.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Jul09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $15
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Friend
Website : Browns of Padthaway
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Notes, Padthaway, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Monday, July 13th, 2009
I have heard on the grapevine that this wine in a decline, so I thought it was time to try one of my magnums. Lots of pencilly oak, with black olives, black fruits, tapenade, milk chocolate, red cherries, a touch of tobacco, but not a lot though. The palate is dry and on the short side, with some tangy fruits, dark cherry fruits and some pleasant tannins. It is not exactly fruity, and that which remains will not improve from here. Oaky and okay. Has some charm, but not entirely likeable. Drink up.
Rated : 86 Points
Tasted : Jul09
Alcohol : 13.8%
Price : $90
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Cellar
Website : Devil’s Lair
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Sunday, July 12th, 2009
A solid red, but with a touch of browning. Milk chocolate, tobacco leaf, black olives and cedar, but also something sinister lurking in the shadows. A lovely palate, red currants, tobacco, cedar, beautiful tannins and a grippy dryness. Sounds okay, eh? But with time I realised I’d been fooling myself, and perhaps if it had been a cheaper bottle of wine I would have declared it sooner. The bugger was corked! And as soon as this spoken, the game was over and I chucked the rest of the bottle. Perhaps I should have consumed it faster?
Rated : n/a
Tasted : Jul09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $53.50
Closure : Cork
Drink : ?
Source : Cellar
Website : Cullen
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Last bottle from a six pack. Red currants, red berries, leather, gravel and a touch of horse hair. The palate was quite big and meaty, showing strong tannins with creamy red cherries and red currants, milk chocolate, cedar and minerally dryness. The tannins are still quite firm and chunky, not quite resolved, but I don’t think the wine is going to get any better from here, because with the fruit fading it is only going to get hollow and seem unbalanced. Regardless, quite satisfying to drink.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : May09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $45
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Cape Mentelle
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
I had this two weeks ago, and have only just got around to getting the camera out and taking a bottle shot. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot, 11% Shiraz and 8% Merlot. A clear red in colour, with quite a rustic nose, new leather, red cherries, dirty fruits and a touch of volatility. The palate is lightly bodied and a bit stinky, with cherries, leather, woody spices and a touch of the old gym socks. The fruit is ripe, but not overly so, and the finish nicely drying. Might be in a bit of a hole at the moment, and would certainly benefit from a decent decant.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 12.6%
Price : $42
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012+
Source : Cellar
Website : Lake’s Folly
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hunter Valley, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »