Winemaker Notes
Aroma: Dense black currant jam. Hint of pickled kalamata olive, mineral edge, whiff of vanillin.
Palate: Closed, dark chocolate, raisins. Massive depth, chewy, yet soft, lingering tannins. Hint of licorice.
With air contact time the oak vanillin develops more of a cedar quality.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is purple/black-colored with a nose of toasty black currants, spice box, and licorice. Velvety, sweet, and opulent on the palate, it has plenty of concentration, enough structure for balance, and a pure, fruit-filled finish.
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.