Jacob's Creek St. Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
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Color: Deep red with vibrant crimson hues.
Bouquet: Complex aromas of ripe blackberry and cassis, flawlessly integrated with charry, spiced oak. The fruit characters are rich and concentrated, and are highlighted by undertones of salty licorice.
Palate: Concentrated cassis, blackberry and mint flavors combined with spicy cedar oak and youthful, fine grained tannins. The richness and intensity of fruit flavor is perfectly balanced with fresh acidity, and the complexity of the French oak used enhances the dense varietal fruit characters.
Those who drink it now will be rewarded, however the 2003 St Hugo will age gracefully and become more powerful and complex for those who choose to carefully cellar it for 5 to 10 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Consumers who associate the Jacob's Creek brand solely with inexpensive quaffing wines should take a look at some of the company's high-end offerings, such as the St. Hugo's Cabernet. The 2003 features plenty of body, a creamy, velvety texture and bright cherry fruit. Darker notes of cassis lend depth, embellished by hints of eucalyptus, tobacco and vanilla. Drink now–2015.
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Wine & Spirits
This has the dynamic, plummy freshness cabernet can achieve in Coonawarra's terra rossa soils. It feels cool, dark and elegant, fully ripe without overreaching. The long, spicy flavor will meld with chopped sirloin, grilled rare.
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A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Distinguished by a thin, subterranean band of crumbled, red clay loam, Coonawarra is a fairly flat, otherwise unobtrusive region with a cool Mediterranean climate, actually not dissimilar to Bordeaux.
In Coonawarra, this unique layer of red clay is called, "terra rossa" and gets its color from iron oxide. The terra rossa soil overlies soft, penetrable limestone, in a continuous area that is part of the Limestone Coast zone of South Australia. This uncommon layering of soils creates a substrate that is both well draining and at the same time, offers good water retention to support vine roots through dry summers.
Not surprisingly, Coonawara experiences great success with the Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also Shiraz. However Cabernet reigns superior and accounts for half of the Coonawarra harvest each year. Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon develops powerful, yet polished tannins, ripe, red berry fruit and often sweet herb or dried mint qualities. The region has an increased focus on the individual expressions of single vineyards.