Winetastic

Majella have an excellent reputation and in an effort to expand the number of Cabernet based wines in our cellar, I picked up a bottle of Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 to try - it was a good move.

Vibrant aromas of blackcurrant, liquorice, menthol and spices. The palate is led by powerful and juicy blackcurrant fruit, plenty of super fine tannin and a little lingering coffee on the finish. Its robust, well balanced and very long - excellent Cabernet and good value at around $30.

If you are a bit of a tannin fiend, this is a rather enjoyable drink-now proposition, however it should really blossom after another 5 or more years in the cellar.

Score: 93/100
Price: $30
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: The Wine Front, Torbwine
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, I sense a six pack coming our way

During a recent trip to the Mount Pleasant cellar door, one of the staff kindly slipped us a bottle of the Brands Laira “Blockers” Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 to try. I have not really explored the Brands label, a stablemate to Mount Pleasant within the McWilliams company, however this particular bottle was festooned with gold trophy stickers.

Vibrant blood red in colour with exceptional clarity, the aromas were initally a bit closed with brooding blackcurrant and aniseed evident. In the mouth this cabernet is powerful and full bodied with juicy dark berries, black olive, restrained cedar oak and a dash of spices. The fine yet pronounced tannins are approachable now, however the structure also suggests medium term cellaring potential.

I was surprised when I looked up the alcohol content, never would have picked it from what I saw in the bottle as even now the wine is so well balanced and very very drinkable. As a matter of fact I wish I had another glass right now…

Score: 93/100
Price: $20
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 15.5%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine?
RRP is $25 however you should be able to source this wine for under $20 - a bargain at that price, I will buy some.

I noticed that Penley Estate’s “Phoenix” Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 has been getting some good press as a great value for money red with a little cellaring potential in its back pocket. Armed with this information I picked up a bottle to review at the thrifty price of $17.

Very drinkable for a young cabernet, showing aromas of blackberry and ripe dark cherries. The palate is ripe, fruit forward and well balanced with a fine, approachable tannin structure and well integrated oak. Very easy drinking now and should be more interesting after 5 years in the cellar.

Although the wine did improve slightly over a few hours, there is no need for a decant if drinking now. What more is there to say? Well done Penley Estate on a great value for money Cabernet.

Score: 90/100
Price: $17
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 15%
Other Opinions: Penley Estate, TORBWine
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, will definitely put a few away for a short sleep in the cellar.

Usually I ramble on a bit about the background of a wine, however Wynns Black Label Cabernet 2006 really does not need any introduction. I will cut right to the chase and recommend buying a 6-pack for the cellar, especially now that the wine is sealed under screwcap.

Vibrant aromas of plum jam, blackberry, menthol and vanilla oak, this Cabernet tastes nowhere near as ripe as it smells exhibiting a somewhat savory palate of plum and blackberry, mint and a little cocoa. Weighty and mouth filling with a very chewy texture and loads of chalky tannin, the finish is rather long for a ~$20 wine.

I was surprised how the aromatics were leaping out of the bottle straight after removing the screwcap as you often find young red wines, especially Cabernet, are quite closed under these circumstances. It drinks well now, however you need to decant the wine for at least 3-4 hours before the fruit has time to swallow up the oak and tannins.

Score: 92/100
Price: $22
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Winorama, TORBWine
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, outstanding bang for your buck - especially if discounted below $20 like the 2005 vintage

My search for a good Australian wine in the UK continues and has led me to explore what Lindemans have to offer in their bin series.

A vibrant crimson in colour the 2006 Bin 50 shiraz has an appealing nose of rich berries, vanilla and subtle spices. A fairly full-bodied wine, the palate is bursting with red and dark berries, and subtle chocolate and liquorice. This shiraz has a good length to it, soft tannins and a creamy rich finish, with a hint of spice.

This is an easy drinker and a general crowd pleaser. Drinking now, it would be well suited to a beef or game dish, or perfectly acceptable on it’s own.

Score: 82
Price: I paid the equivalent of $16
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Winorama, Lindemans
Would I buy this wine again? This is a good wine, but not a great wine. Not bad value for money, I might be tempted to go another bottle or two whilst still in the UK.

Wynns have a reputation for good quality and excellent value with their black label Cabernet, I had heard murmurings that over the last few years they had been slipping a little, however the 2004 release looks to be a rousing return to form.

A deep and vibrant red in colour, this wine smells distinctly of menthol and blackcurrant with a touch of mint and some spices. There is good structure and balance between dark plummy fruit, tangy acid and cedar oak on the nice long finish. Serious amounts of drying tannins need some time to settle down.

Generally I don’t mind a fair whack of tannin in my reds, however after the second glass it all became a bit too much at this early stage, so if you are drinking it young, be sure to have it with a big chunk of beef or lamb. This wine is a medium-long term cellaring proposition, and a good one at that.

Score: 90/100
Price: $16
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Wynns, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, cant go wrong at $15-16 per bottle.

Now that the cooler weather has arrived we are getting stuck right into the reds again. In the interests of science we are trying as many different wines as possible, this week it is the Robertsons Well Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, made from fruit grown in the Coonawarra region.

Initially inviting aromas of blackberry, plum and oak, these continue onto the palate accompanied by some spices and drying tannins on the finish. Medium bodied and easy drinking. This is not an overly complex wine, however you cannot really expect that much from a $14 Cabernet.

Overall this is a good wine, however it is not hard to justify spending the extra $3 for a bottle of the Mamre Brook Cabernet when it is on special.

Score: 6/10
Price: $14
Closure: Cork
Would I buy this wine again?
Maybe if I was after a budget Cabernet and was faced with an unfamiliar selection.

I recently reviewed the 2001 vintage of this wine which was lush, balanced and delicious. Unfortunately the last case sold out at our local bottle shop, so I picked up one bottle of the 2002 vintage to give it a try.

A typical Cabernet varietal nose of plums, berries and oak. The oakfest continued on the palate accompanied by some bitter grape seed flavours which were most unpleasant. After spending a couple of hours in the decanter the wine was marginally better, however half the bottle ended up going down the sink the next day.

Rosemount talk this wine up in their online tasting notes, however I was really disappointed with this wine as 2002 was supposed to be quite a good vintage down in South Australia. Admittedly the style is designed to age for many years, however its older brother from 2001 was delicious young.

Score: 4/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Although I am curious to see how this wine would taste in 5-10 years time, there are far more enjoyable wines to be had for $20.

Having been suitably impressed with the 2002 Show Reserve Shiraz, we recently picked up this bottle of the 2001 Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon which hails from the Coonarwarra region of South Australia, the traditional heartland of Australian Cabernet.

Having strong blackcurrant and berry aromas, this Cabernet is very full and juicy in the mouth with flavours of dark berries and plums. The finish is long and well balanced with drying tannins. This is a wine of structure that should continue to age well for several years, in fact in the official Rosemount Tasting Notes, a drinking window up to 2018 is recommended.

Most retailers currently have the 2002 vintage of this wine available, generally falling around the $20-25 a bottle mark. However if you are down in Sydney’s south, Dan Murphy’s at Menai found a few cases lost in a corner of their warehouse and are clearing them out at the very reasonable price of $16.

Score: 8/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, this is my favorite straight Cabernet Sauvignon to date. Cannot complain about the $16 price tag either!

South Australian 2002 Shiraz continues to impress.

Whereas the Knappstein 2002 Shiraz was probably more of a drink-now wine, this one tugs on my shirt and asks kindly to be cellared for a few years to reach that same softened, mellowness of flavours. Hold on - did you just read what I just wrote as something like “don’t bother drinking now?” hahaha… hell no! Drink it now, its bloody delicious. Bigger and less subtle than the Knappstein, but oh - there is no doubt, I am picking up some more of these and I’d suggest that you at give it a whirl if you enjoy a cool climate Australian Shiraz with plenty of delicious raspberry and black cherry fruit flavours.

Fantastic length, great balance of flavours and spice, silky tannins, medium to full bodied - what more can I ask for? Not much thats for sure. Check out some of the Brand’s of Coonawarra tasting notes and such. Anyway, you know I’m impressed - theres value to be had with this one in my book.

Would I buy this wine again? I’m going to pay a visit to Uncle Dan this weekend to grab three of these. One to spoil myself with, two to put away.