If I was a little younger I might have said "well enjoyed this"... which I did! But that means I am getting ahead of myself.

Order, order, order could be the cry from the leader of the house. So be it! Well, to start with it has an enticing colour as this Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blend from 2011 comes together in the bottle, and in turn, the glass... Quite delightful blackberry and cherry fruitiness with the inevitable brai smokiness really works well on the nose.

Having given the glass a good old swirl you also notice that there are some not insignificant legs left to the sides of the glass - well, at 14.5% abv - that might not surprise either...

It does have a degree of heat - quite pleasing actually given the current temps outside! - but that alcohol heat is not so much intrusive as welcoming... Potentially a little dry, too. But I like this wine which I received as a sample.

I will have to sample some more than this offering, as this is very satisfying to me. All that was promised on the nose gets transferred to the palate. With food - pork sausages with sun-dried tomato blush and basil, penne pasta with green pesto and fine green beans - it worked really well. Fullsome, rich, and very moor'ish!

Very pleased to have received a sample like this, which just balances tannins, acidity, fruitiness and character to create a landscape of a rich, ripe, and golden sunset telling you to relax and enjoy. Hell, I can easily relax and enjoy when something as good as this is to hand. Nice one Willie, and thank you!

I hope many more Angels get to taste this wine, and similarly approve of it.... They should do if they know what is good for them!

Barry 21:30 08/02/2012 Reply

£10.49

I have found this to be a perfectly acceptable wine, but maybe not warranting the Reserva Privada status. It has a nice fruity bouquet, an attractive colour to look at, and then it is down to the acid-test - how does it taste?

Well, it is certainly softer with food, as there is a bit of an acid edge creeping in without. It' shouldn't be a problem really, as you identify a wine's characteristics and play to it's strengths accordingly. That is not to say this wine cannot be enjoyed without food, rather that is just better enjoyed with food.

Dark fruits on the palate, some cherry for sure, a touch vegetal at times, that touch of sharpness without food (and as I tap away here...), combined with some vanilla notes and maybe liquorice too. Quite happy to embibe this, and even more so for the price that I managed to pick this up for recently!

Barry 22:57 03/02/2012 Reply

For a 14.5% wine, this has a very subdued nose, smelling if of anything a touch of vanilla sweetness. Quite dark looking though. On the palate it is silky soft, with blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, some tobacco, and also some chocolate. Soft tannins.

TBH I was expecting a little more from this, and that is not to say that it isn't a lovely wine to have in your glass, it just lacks something... A bit one-dimensional, perhaps? The spicy Shiraz has been toned down, by a 5% blend of Barberra, according to Jock. Too much of a knock-out blow to the racy spicy nature of the Shiraz?

Hmm. I think the school report would say - tried hard showing signs of good promise but ultimately left with the feeling that this could do so much better... Still lovely, but could be lovelier still!

The 2011's harvest is looking promising down-under so maybe the next vintage will restore everything back to expectation?

Barry 22:03 01/02/2012 Comment