Bright medium red with purple hue in colour; On the nose: pronounced Blackcurrant, crushed wet leaves and dark plums, bouquet of wild violet and a decent amount of almost wet tobacco oak. A full bodied wine that has great length on the palate with firm but refined tannins. Simply outstanding in its class.
Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is the beacon of quality that all Australian Cabernet Sauvignon is compared to. Coming off the iconic red soils of Coonawarra, Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon is classic elegance. Chief winemaker, Sue Hodder, is able to craft a wine brimming with aromas of blackcurrant and plum that combine with spicy minty notes. The palate is well structured, long and fine. With the right cellaring condition, this could easily be a cellar gem.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 750mL 2019
From a 37-acre vineyard, Château Pavie Macquin is stunningly situated on the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion on the right bank of Bordeaux. 2010 has produced a formidable wine: a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a top release of the harvest year and a highlight from St-Émillion in 2010. Tannins, restraint and inward concentration are motifs, this is a wine for the patient, sophisticated collector who wishes to embellish a cellar with pedigree wines that need time and maturity to come to the fore.
While the estate known as Chateau Haut-Bailly dates back to 1461, its wine production began in 1530, falling into the hands of the de Leuvarde and Le Bailly families in 1630. It was purchased in 1998 by Robert G Wilmers, a Harvard-educated banker, and his French wife Elisabeth and under their care, the estate has begun producing some of the best wines in its history. The cellars and production procedures were renovated and modernised and this year, the Chateau itself was awarded government recognition of its cultural and vinious heritage.
It would be difficult to find a more classically Médoc wine than this great Cantemerle, with its sustained power and refined elegance. A very deep color and subtle aromas underscore its youth. Once in the mouth, this rich and full-bodied wine releases notes of coffee, olives and licorice which are emphasized by an opulent and harmonious length. A fine wine which marries fullness and delicacy, while avoiding heaviness and excessive oak.
Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon is the icon Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. Named after Coonawarra pioneer, pastoralist and parliamentarian, John Riddoch, this Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the very best of Wynns vast planting in Coonawarra and it only made in the years that best express Wynns strive for excellence. Arguably richer and more complex from comparable styles in the region, John Riddoch Cabernet is highly sought after and extremely limited.
Penfolds Bin 389 is the classic South Australian red! Often referred to as 'Baby Grange' or 'Poor Man's Grange', Bin 389 was the wine that helped to build Penfolds' solid reputation with wine drinkers around the world. A magnificent blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the very best regions and vineyards available to Peter Gago and his team, the robust nature of the Cabernet grape give structure and body to the wine while the opulent Shiraz fruit provides suppleness and intensity. A true icon of Australian wine first created by the legend himself, Max Schubert, Peter Gago is quoted as saying 'Through thick and thin, across all vintages, Bin 389 always delivers - benefitting from over half a century of practice!
Brilliant magenta, Coleraine '16 entices with concentrated rose syrup, fresh, fragrant raspberry, wild strawberry, ripe plum, thyme and cedar. Offering superb depth and complexity, Coleraine '16 is defined by a precise, lazer-edge of pure, bright, red fruit. Framed by tight acid and silky tannins, all this extends elegantly into an exquisite and super-fine crescendo, giving exceptional length and finesse to the wine. Each parcel of grapes was destemmed before a traditional warm, plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to predominately new French oak barrels for 18 months' maturation. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The separate wines were blended in January 2017 then egg white fined during their second winter in barrel. The finished wine was then bottled in December 2017. The final blend is 51% cabernet sauvignon, 47% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawkes Bay vineyards. A temperate maritime climate with low rainfall, due to the rain shadow from mountains to the west, ensures Te Matas sites make the most of every vintage. At the heart of Te Mata Estate are the Havelock Hills Vineyards - the first legally-protected vineyards in New Zealand. Te Mata has five sites on these free draining, north-facing slopes. Soils to the east are mostly sandy loam over a sandstone base, and towards the west are sandy loam over a thin layer of clay and a silica pan. The distinctive shape of the hills is due to their comparative youth, in geological terms. At the meeting point of two tectonic plates, sandstone has been pushed up then worn away relatively quickly leaving a landscape of steep and gentle slopes, and terraces ideal for grape-growing. Under vine for over 120 years, and including some of the oldest grape growing sites in New Zealand, the Havelock Hills are protected for their distinct character, special ambience and unique viticultural heritage.