Winemaker Notes
Deep crimson with purple hues. Lifted blueberries, black currants and black olive dominate the aroma, with lovely cedar and hints of licorice and sweet spice adding to the complexity. Bright and rich berry fruits coat the palate and mingle with brambly spice, hints of black olive and licorice. Full bodied with velvety, fine, grape and oak tannin adding to the structure which flows onto the long, fruitful and spicy finish.
Pair with mushroom risotto, braised beef, ribs or beef cheeks, duck, and blue cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Rich loam, cedar and blackcurrants mingle on the nose of the 2016 Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon. Showing excellent ripeness and depth, it's a medium to full-bodied wine, generous in dark fruit and supported by vanilla shadings, finishing with grainy tannins and ample length.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The beauty of Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of power and elegance. The 2016 Langmeil Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon is picture-perfect in this respect. TASTING NOTES: Could this be my "Down-Under" claret? This wine is a well-balanced Cabernet with all of its elements in the right places. Its aromas and flavors of black fruits, licorice, and mint stay long and well-melded. Pair it with a juicy Porterhouse steak. (Tasted: August 14, 2018, San Francisco, CA USA)
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.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.