Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A relatively full-bodied Margaret River Cabernet, Hay Shed Hill's 2008 displays aromas of mint, cassis and smoke alongside fully ripe flavors of cassis and chocolate. The tannins are firm and a bit drying on the finish, but the chocolatey richness of the fruit shows through. Drink 2013-2020.
Editor's Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with a tiny amount of Petit Verdot and aged 13 months in French oak, 20% new. Possessing a deep garnet-purple color it gives aromas of minty cassis with a touch of dark chocolate and cardamom. Medium to high acid and a medium level of very fine tannins compose a good backbone for the concentrated full body. The finish is long and minty. Consider drinking it now though it’ll undoubtedly fan-out in a year or two and continue to 2018+.
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.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.