Winemaker Notes
Mid purple-red, the fragrant aromas of cassis and couverture chocolate (Cabernet Sauvignon) are highlighted with nuances of ripe, red apple skin (Tempranillo), earth and spice (Grenache). Maturation in French oak contributes notes of cashew and vanilla. Juicy blackberry and cherry fruit flavors are contained by the tightly woven tannins and fresh, natural acidity. This beguiling medium to full-bodied red blend expresses beautifully the synergy of the 3 varieties and the earth in which they grew.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This is the first release from a collaboration between Andrew Browne, who heads up Precept Wine, and Kym Davey of Shingleback Estates in McLaren Vale. A blend of cabernet sauvignon (87 percent) with tempranillo and grenache from Shingleback’s vineyards, it’s a brisk and gamey red, with brambly raspberry fruit that feels savory and rich. It’s silky and plump, with an herbal note that keeps it fresh. Not complex, but delicious. Best Buy
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Wine Enthusiast
This Cabernet-dominant wine is blended with 8% Tempranillo and 5% Grenache. Plush red currant and black cherry marry on the nose, joined by dried tobacco leaf, black olive and smoke. It’s rich and full figured on the palate, but framed neatly by sinewy, savory tannins. Drink now–2027.
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.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.