Category Archives: Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 Oliver’s Taranga DJ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

“It Was The Sound Of A Crescendo He Came Into Her Apartment He Left The Bloodstains On The Carpet”- Michael Jackson From the sublime to the ridiculous. I certainly wouldn’t be calling this a claret. It’s profoundly coloured, full-bodied, rich, … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale | Tagged | Comments Off

2009 Oliver’s Taranga Cabernet

Interesting Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale. Possesses a rare degree of finesse considering it’s hardly a cool climate area. On the other hand, I can see some finding it a bit too thin and lacking in regional expression. I reckon it’s just … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale | Tagged | Comments Off

2010 Swinging Bridge Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

There’s nothing that ‘reserved’ about this wine. And so far, from the other opinions I’ve read, there’s nothing ‘reserved’ about the way people respond to it. It may just be a polarising kind of wine. Personally, I really like it. … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Orange | Tagged | 2 Comments

2010 Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon

Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon can cellar very well in good years. The 2005, reviewed three years ago, is still travelling well. Shame I only have one bottle left. Still, this 2010 release is quite marvellous and I’ll certainly be laying some down … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale | Tagged | Comments Off

2010 Yering Station Cabernet Sauvignon

Ripe and somewhat lush like many of the new release Yering Station wines but to my mind this pulls it off. I like Yarra Valley Cabernet when it’s a little less stern. Thick with the flavour of blackcurrants, pouch tobacco, … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Yarra Valley | Tagged | Comments Off

Elevation…don’t go to my head: A Granite Belt Tasting

Sitting at the bar of a well known establishment in Brisbane with a bowl of rosemary salted chips and a glass of Dönnhoff Riesling, I casually mentioned to a staff member that I was heading to a tasting of Granite Belt wines … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Durif, Gewürztraminer, Granite Belt, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Vermentino, Wine Events, Wine Musings | 17 Comments

Wirra Wirra’s Woodhenge Cup: Stay Low and Pull don’t Push

Adelaide Here I am, living in Australia, writing about wine, talking about terroir and until earlier this month I’d never set foot in South Australia. Heresy! I’ve always been a bookish type, gathering my thoughts and impressions from ‘secondary texts’ but … Continue reading

Posted in Adelaide Hills, Australia, Cabernet et al, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Grenache, Grenache et al, McLaren Vale, Moscato, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, South Australia, Wine Events, Wine Musings | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

2009 Chapel Hill The Chosen Gorge Block Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasted alongside the standard release and clearly the better wine. Chapel Hill’s ‘The Chosen’ series are sourced from single blocks with a clear eye to focusing on the specificity of terroir within the McLaren Vale region. It’s wine geek heaven for … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale | Tagged | Comments Off

2009 Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

Chapel Hill have a lovely new website and it’s about time. That’s not meant to be cruel. It’s just that a winery that is cranking out such classy releases deserves a good shopfront, so to speak. Raspberries and redcurrants on … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale | Tagged | Comments Off

A Whole Bunch of Action at the Yarra Valley Wine Program

A WILD RIDE  It’s my life It’s now or never I ain’t gonna live forever The words were Bon Jovi’s but they rang out loud and clear from a very unexpected source; wine writer Winsor Dobbin’s mobile phone. On the … Continue reading

Posted in Arneis, Blogging, Burgundy, Cabernet et al, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gamay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Rosé, Syrah, Tempranillo, White Blends, Wine Events, Wine Musings, Yarra Valley | Tagged , | 9 Comments