Tag Archives: Cabernet Sauvignon

Undurraga Altazor 2005

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Altazor.jpgI’m jealous that Chris was able to visit this winery on his recent trip to Chile. Fortunately for me, the local distributor is a colleague of mine, and it was this connection that led to being able to taste Undurraga’s premium wine, the Altazor. 

Being half Asian, I appreciate the spectacle of ostentatious vulgarity as its own form of style. Hence, I am attracted to the packaging here. The bottle itself is weighty, with an obscenely deep punt, but what makes it for me is the unapologetically gold labelling, medallion-like in its glittering assertiveness. How can one fail to enjoy a wine so presented?
I thought it was corked at first, but the slightly corky smell faded and turned into raw oak and a curious tobacco note that reminded me of Carménère. No surprise, then, to know this wine, while predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, has a percentage of that characterful lost grape of Bordeaux. On the nose, crushed leaves, complex berry fruit — purple and red in character — and perhaps slightly jammy. I found the aroma to change throughout my experience of this wine, constantly shifting and evolving in an attractive way.
The palate is strikingly intense, yet only medium bodied, the combination of which establishes its intent as decidedly European. The fruit is pure, driven and attractive, varietal yet at the same time characterful, with an earthy, distinctively leafy edge. The attack is substantial and full, tapering slightly to medium and after palates of more elegant proportions. The finish powers through, extending to considerable length, with fruit and sweet, slightly uneven tannins carrying the can. There’s a particularly intriguing note of minerality on the finish, really striking and beautiful. Everything about this wine speaks of quality.
If you’re going to do a premium label, this isn’t a bad approach. It’s powerful and balanced, made in a classic mould, but with its own identity too. 

Undurraga
Price: $A80
Closure: Cork
Source: Sample

Red Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

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If there were ever a shining example of a vin d’effort, this wine is likely it.

Unfathomably black in the glass, this wine smells damn good in exactly the same way that breast implants look good: you can’t help but like it, even if you recognize that those tell-tale half-grapefruits aren’t even remotely, you know, human. The color of this wine is straight up sci-fi, the color reminiscent of an inky black, otherworldly, viscous ooze that looks like it’s about to do something nasty to Tasha Yar. The nose is moderately complex, with suggestions of Asian spices in a forgotten cedar box that someone’s stashed in amongst strawberries mixed with rising dough; yes, it’s very Cabernet after a fashion, but entirely without the green, leafy notes that so often add interest. At times, though, it reminds me of a shoeshine stand in a dusty Delta town not too far away from Napa; at other times, it tends towards stewed prunes and pencil shavings. You have to admit, though, that this wine is incredible value for what it is: with all of this going on, I’d expect the price tag to be twice as much.The progression of the wine is simultaneously surprising and trite. Wonderfully balanced the initial impression (fleeting, mind you!) is of a vapid California cabernet, quickly resolving into something much more interesting, with sneaky acidity firming up against a billowing cloud of smoky red fruit, which suddenly vaporizes into an entirely delicious, savory, dark expression of Cabernet that – although it doesn’t really seem particularly Californian, or particularly anywhere in particular at all – is admittedly entirely fabulous. It smooths out on the finish even further, transmogrifying into something that damn near approaches pure pleasure, going on for an age, suggesting nothing more than raspberry liqueur, baker’s chocolate, and perhaps star anise. Tannins make themselves known, yes – who snuck in and put socks on all my teeth? – but they’re fully ripe and in their right place here.

To sum up, this is for my money a home run, no questions asked. Sure, there’s no real sense of place or any strange, haunting beauty here, but honestly: do we always, always have to care? Surely it’s sometimes enough to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the contents of a shrink-wrapped magazine or bottle of well-crafted wine? Isn’t it?

R Wines
Price: $13
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Retail

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

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Lovely inky black in the glass, this wine promises to be a good one, if only by the winery’s reputation and the fact that nearly half of their entire production is this wine. Pouring it into the glass, I was a little bit surprised that it seemed a bit watery, but the label tells me that this is only 13.5% abv, which seems odd given the place it came from – I’ve had a lot of Paso Robles zinfandel that contains a guaranteed hangover in every bottle – but then again the Agent for Change cab I had from Paso was also held to these relatively low alcohol levels.Anyhow! There’s a very fresh, simple smell to this wine, tinged with an edge of coconut-fruity-banana that seems to promise a good time. (I ordered this through the mail, but I almost imagine this being packaged in a plain brown wrapper at a liquor store – there’s just something risqué about it.) The oak on the nose seems a bit raw; it’s more reminiscent of bourbon than Bordeaux.Somewhat voluptuously overwrought at first, my initial impression is of a blowsy, gone-to-seed wine – it’s all very louche in a Plato’s Retreat kind of way. Yes, there’s enough acidity here to stop the wine from being completely flabby, but it strikes me as a little bit harsh and not particularly well integrated. Flavors, such as they are, seem to be stuck in a high-pitched giggle more appropriately found in strawberry fruit leather; that being said, the wine does display some complexity after aeration, but it’s all a lot like listening to the Bee Gees: yes, the singing is good, but it’s all disconcertingly way high up there. I’d ordinarily prefer some bass to counterbalance all the treble, but I’m not getting it much here. Tannins are present, but they seem clunky and somehow flown in from another wine entirely; there’s almost a hard Loire edge to them, but only just.All in all, drinking this wine is rather like Cubist art: all very well and good if you’re in the mood for it, but sometimes you just want to look at something pretty. This is not a bad wine; there is quality here, but I’ll be damned if I can puzzle it all back together right now. Ultimately, this is probably best drunk with steak: it’s got a sort of sweetness that is initially pleasing, but on its own it just doesn’t work.Justin
Price: $25
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Tricyclo Merlot 2006

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Plush, dark red in color, the nose at first suggests a heavily green Merlot, something along the lines of a Hawkes Bay merlot from ten years ago. This seems odd; aeration helps, changing the notes to heavy oak and camphor, almost a Victorian gentleman’s armoire sort of thing. Smoky bacon-wrapped cherries emerge at last, and you’ve got a fairly idiosyncratic rendition of Merlot that doesn’t seem quite to match any normal international style.Initially tannic, fairly aggressive acidity springs forth along with fairly simple red berry flavors, resolving into something like an Australian fortified Shiraz, albeit with less punch: this is thankfully a mere 13% by volume. Although not hugely complex, the oak turns out to be very well judged, offering up a soft baker’s chocolate cushion for all of that pretty cherry-berry fruit. The finish is noticeably long; a subtle hint of black olives and sweet spicy oak shows up just before the curtain falls.After two hours’ aeration, however, the wine does improve into a remarkably well put together drink; there’s enough shiny red fruit to make anyone happy, and the oak influence is subtle and interesting enough to make this really work for anyone else.All in all, this stuff is fairly delicious. Depending on its price, this is either a remarkable effort (if it’s $10) or a slight failure (if it’s $20). Funny how that works sometimes.Viñedos Errazuriz Ovalle S. A.
Price: $NA
Closure: Cork
Source: Gift

Angullong A Cabernet Merlot 2008

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There are many different interpretations of a “drink now” red wine, ranging from exuberantly fruity wines like Teusner’s Riebke through to this. I’d describe this as light, somewhat Italianate in style, except it lacks the requisite rusticity of mouthfeel to fully qualify. Nonetheless, it seems a valid enough answer to the stylistic question.

On the nose, quite expressive with a dash of caramel oak, some high toned fruit in dried peel mode and a general impression of levity. This isn’t a bruiser at all, nor is it especially refined or complex, but it’s quite a penetrative aroma profile nonetheless. The palate shows more liquidity than suggested on the nose, and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing. With the fruit sitting, as it does, in the upper registers, a more aggressively textural mouthfeel seems appropriate. The rough edges, though, are smoothed over here. Still, there’s ample intensity of flavour, and the fruit is clean. There’s a nice streak of acidity that runs the length of the wine too, which partly compensates for the lack of tannic fun. Pretty decent finish.
There’s some thought behind this wine, which I appreciate at the reasonable price point.

Angullong
Price: $A15
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Flaxman The Stranger Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

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Flaxman wines are, if nothing else, beautifully packaged. Pete Caton has created the design, and lovely it is too, but the words are also well chosen and applied, something I wish I felt more often about wine labels. It’s all quite artisanal and cuddly in equal measure. The wine itself is made from purchased grapes (hence “The Stranger”).

The nose is slow to emerge from its shell. At first, I got a bit of stressed stalk and old oak, which has in time given way to quite dense red and black berry fruit. It’s not the most expressive nose — not right now, anyway — though it seems to express a coherent character in its low-key way. It’s almost as if there’s a whole aroma profile in there relaxing in shaded comfort. 
The palate makes complete sense of the nose, bringing what is merely suggested by the aroma into full sun. It’s also luxuriously textured. The entry shows dense, dark fruit, liqueur-like in expression and elevated in deliciousness. It also establishes a charismatic textural presence, with velvet-like tannins appearing almost instantly, weaving in and out of a fine acid line. It’s a deliciously sour, orange-juice acid that risks disrupting the more voluptuous aspects of the wine’s flavour profile, but which in the end just serves to keep things fresh and shapely. The middle palate is pure luxe, lashes of fruit flavour flowing over the tongue. There’s perhaps a hint of overripe fruit here, tending towards a prune flavour. No matter. This is a sensual wine; satin sheets and chocolates and all that implies. A decent finish rounds the experience off with a gentle taper, neither too dry nor simple.
A really lovely wine with serious “x factor,” particularly impressive considering the difficult vintage. 

Flaxman Wines
Price: $A35
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

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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.

Tahbilk
Price: $A60
Closure: Cork
Source: Sample

Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2007

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It it possible to smell technical winemaking? Do you ever open a bottle and catch yourself wondering if Mega Purple has some kind of tell-tale aroma associated with it? I almost did for a second there, but then I found myself wondering if it wasn’t some kind of greenness I was smelling instead: there seem to be definite hints of green bell pepper here, which seems a little weird given that it’s nearly 15% alcohol. Huh.Beyond that, I don’t get much out of the nose other than an odd, almost smoky, faintly medicinal aroma that I’m not sure I like. Thankfully, it tastes better than it smells; yes, the wine seems strangely narrow at first, but broadens out somewhat to a pleasantly grapey finish with an interesting note of fresh herbs. It could use more extract, more tannin, more something – or it could just be a food wine, in which case it’s alternately admirably restrained. On the whole, though, the wine strikes me as generally sound, well-made, and not particularly interesting save for the finish, which does last quite a while and which offers definite interest (it’s now moved on to a smoky butterscotch note juxtaposed against meaty violets, not at all bad).I’m headed to Chile next week on vacation and hope to drink well while I’m down there; until then, this wine has got me wondering why I haven’t bought a Chilean wine in years. This ain’t half bad.Santa Rita
Price: $8
Closure: Cork
Source: Gift

Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

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There are lots of nice things about this wine, but I just can’t get over the tannins. They are awesome. 

I’ve been tasting this over three nights and only now, on the third evening, is it beginning to tire. The nose shows as much sweet earth as it does Cabernet cassis and leaf, so one might describe this expression of the grape as “regional.” As an aside, I find certain regions quite fascinating for the overriding effect they seem to have on some varieties. Hunter does it to reds, and so does Canberra. They taste more of their geographic provenance than anything else, and so it is too with this wine. There’s ample volume and expressiveness here, which conspire to deliver a wine one doesn’t easily tire of smelling.
In the mouth, a velvet ride of sweet tannin plushness. There’s more than just tannin, of course, but I keep coming back to them as the foundation, both structural and aesthetic, of this wine. On entry, immediate red fruited goodness pushed along by fine, balanced acidity and a twang of orange juice-like sourness. Everything comes together on the middle palate, clean fruit colliding with rich soil and a hint of unexpected minerality. Texturally, an abundance of ripe tannins provides both firmness and a sense of luxury. The whole is medium bodied, with good balance and an overarching sense of down home drinkability. The after palate and finish are admirably focused, with both fruit and structure moving seamlessly through the mouth and lingering on in the form of Angostura Bitters flavour and a dry, more-ish mouthfeel.
Really nice wine, and exceptional value considering its pedigree and character. The regional style may not be to everyone’s taste, but it appeals to me greatly. 

Tahbilk
Price: $A20
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Balnaves The Tally Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

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Somes wines deliver an initial slap – excitement, intensity, distaste, and so on – as soon as you begin tasting. Despite what they might become over time, there’s a frisson associated with this first impression that tends to stay with you. 

In the case of this wine, it’s a slap that says “don’t even try to understand me.” It’s not a seduction, or a challenge. It’s a blunt refusal to yield. Feshly poured, it shows an impossible level of concentration on the nose. There’s a lot there, to be sure, yet it’s bound up in its own depth and richness, and takes a hell of a lot of swirling (or a good decant) to let go of some secrets. Coffee grounds, freshly polished antique furniture, deeply steeped black tea, greenhouses full of ferns, the most essence-like dark fruit. It’s a remarkable aroma profile that communicates seriousness of intent and absolute confidence. 
The palate carries through on this concentrated seriousness. To begin, the entry sings with dark berry essence, and it’s well before the middle palate that tannins emerge. It’s worth lingering for a moment on the tannins, as they are a feature of this wine, not only in terms of abundance but character, too. Textured, even and quite sweet, they present the most prominent face of the palate and, if nothing else, promise a long future for the wine. For now, if they (inevitably) prevent the line from flowing as freely as it might, this can hardly be considered a fault, and as a tannin enthusiast I must admit I’m kind of getting off on it. The middle palate shows impressive, powerful fruit beneath all the tannin, such that the whole achieves a curiously correct sense of proportion. Perhaps even giants can be elegant. The after palate is more of the same, and the level of tannin here shows good control through to a finish that is dry and fruit-sweet at the same time. 
It’s hard not to be impressed by this muscular wine. Haul a bottle out in ten years’ time to retaste. 

Balnaves
Price: $A90
Closure: Procork
Source: Sample