It's appropriate, I suppose, at this time of year to feel grateful for a variety of things. For example, I'm grateful my liver continues to function effectively. It also strikes me I ought to be grateful for wines like this; wines that are held back for release, are strongly regional, and of exemplary quality. Mostly, though, I'm grateful to be enjoying such a lovely wine tonight.
A sweet nose -- sweet in a cedar, eucalypt, earthy sort of way -- that gives up very little to the imperative of varietal correctness. There's enough recognisably Cabernet fruit, though, to satisfy the purists. Ultimately, it is what it is and, for my tastes, the aroma is wonderfully comforting, in addition to being complex and balanced and all those serious things.
The palate strikes me with its sense of appropriateness. It never rises above medium bodied, yet is a lesson in generosity and mature balance. On entry, lithe gum leaf and cassis wind around each other, giving way to a more textural expression of detailed fruit and earth as the wine makes its way through the mid-palate. There's plenty of complex flavour within the context of the style, which remains doggedly elegant. The after palate dries with still-abundant tannins, quite chalky in character. They carry sweet fruit through a very long finish. Given the structure here, I've no doubt a few more years in bottle would yield pleasing results; I'm happy with the wine right now, though, especially in accompaniment to a cheese platter.
Tremendously enjoyable wine.
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