Aussie Wines!

When you think about Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia, the two major regions are the Limestone Coast (Coonawarra, Padthaway, etc) and Margaret River, with a few producers in Victoria making names for themselves too. I’ve also come across some beautiful Barossa takes on Cabernet too.

In 1965, Dr John Gladstone published a paper about the viability of Margaret River as a wine region. He had noticed the similarities in climate to Bordeaux and Margaret River has become famous for Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends in whites and Cabernet Merlot (and similar, see below) blends in reds, which are the styles made in Bordeaux. Today, famous Cabernet producers in the region include Cullen, Vasse Felix, Leeuwin Estate, Pierro and Moss Wood.

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot (although the exact blend changes from year to year). Along with Cabernet Franc and Carmenere, all of these grapes are genetically related, are present in Bordeaux blends to some extent and blend together quite well. You’re looking for blackberry, blackcurrant, plum and mulberry flavours. They’re often quite delicate styles, particularly when made from cooler climate regions. Some describe Cabernet and its cousins as the royal family of grapes. When they are made well, Cabernet blends can age for decades.

So, this wine is from one of the Margaret River’s most famous Cabernet producers and will set you back around $35-40ish. It’s quite youthful, still with a lovely purple edge to it indicating you could age it for awhile if you wanted, perhaps even 10 years. You’ll pick up notes of mulberry, plums, a touch of vanilla from the oak and perhaps even a little bit of tobacco, but it’s all lovely and elegant rather than overpowering. It has a nice fullish body to it, very soft and velvety and quite slurpable. The flavour hangs around for awhile (nice length) and you might even get a touch of cedar on the aftertaste, also from the oak.

All in all, Amy tastes good! At this price, it’s worth buying a few and putting them in the cellar, but it certainly drinks well at the moment too so you can put them on the table for a nice dinner with some friends and everyone will enjoy it. 91 points.