Helen & Joey Alena Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
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Wilfred
Wong -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Deep ruby color; oaky aroma, black fruit; medium to full bodied, packed on the palate; dry, medium acidity, good balance; bright and lively on the palate; black fruit, licorice and oak; medium finish. (Tasted: April 13, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Lots of freshly picked blackcurrants, Chinese spices, iodine and a graphite edge. Medium to full body, no shortage of crunchy blue fruit, structured tannins and a chewy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fancy French oak marks the nose of the flagship 2015 Alena Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Cedar and vanilla notes mingle with tobacco and cassis in this crisp, streamlined, medium-bodied red. The tannins are firm, imparting a sense of austerity to this aristocratic Cabernet. Personally, I'd like to see more fun and flesh, but there's no denying that the wine is well made and should have at least a decade of longevity.
Helen & Joey purchased an already established Yarra Valley Vineyard in 2010. Since then Helen, the female owner and operator, and her small team have worked tirelessly to farm the vines better to produce better fruit to make better wine. The results are paying off with estate wines showing remarkable Yarra Valley character. The cool growing conditions of the Yarra Valley produce wines with far more elegance, restraint and aromatics than normally associated with Australian wine.
Helen and Joey Estate is located in the Gruyere sub-district of the Yarra Valley, right at the base of the Warramate Ranges. Vineyards in this area are associated with classic cool climate varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but also has a strong track regard of producing elegant but long lived reds from varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
Jamie McGlade is the viticulturist tasked with improving the vineyard and does so by building the vitality and health of the soils and vines alike. The end objective is to achieve a quality of fruit that requires a minimum of intervention in the winery. Jamie has previously managed renowned Yarra Valley vineyards such as, Mount Mary and Yering Station.
Our senior winemaker is Meg Brodtmann MW. Meg was the first Australian born female to be admitted to the Institute of Masters of Wine. Her focus is on making truly delicious wines that express the elegance, restraint and perfumed character of the Yarra Valley.
Interventions and manipulations are kept to a minimum. Meg is one of the female winemakers that founded Yarra Valley Women of Wine.
Helen and Joey Estate is proudly family owned and operated.
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.
As the most important area of wine production in Victoria today, the Yarra Valley is most popular for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which account for over half of vineyard acreage. A gentle, rolling and rural region alongside the Margaret River, the Yarra Valley has a cool maritime climate with a lengthy growing season, perfect for these cool-climate varieties.
Two styles of Pinot Noir are possible here. The warmer Lower Yarra Valley with sandy, loam soils, produces plush and fruity Pinot Noir while the cooler, higher-elevation Upper Yarra Valley with soils of young red basalt, produces more angular and mineral-driven Pinot Noir.
Yarra Valley Chardonnay is among the best in Australia. To preserve the floral aromatics and fresh citrus flavors for which this area’s Chardonnay is so appreciated, time in barrel is restrained (though barrel fermentation is common). The best Yarra Valley Chardonnays display brilliant acidity, leesy characteristics, citrus, stone fruit and flavors of ginger and spice.
Shiraz and Cabernet find success in parts of this region as well.