- Coonawarra, SA - $22-$30
- Cork
- 13.5%alc
There's much to respect about Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh choosing Yalumba's 2008 Cigar as their 'Wine of the Year' for the 2010/11 Big Red Wine Book. By selecting a wine which is; a) affordable, and b) readily available to the masses, the boys have done a great justice to ALL drinkers of Australian reds. Go on, buy some, you know you can!
Polished and even, this deeply scented Coonawarra cabernet reveals heady aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries and crushed leaves with clean chocolate/cedar oak in an uplifting, perfumed and faintly floral style. Medium to full in weight, its plushly fruited palate delivers an even persistence of simultaneously dry and silken characters, which finish positively long with a wonderfully sensuous extract of fine-grained and dusty, silky tannins underpinned by a note of graphite.
ü+ There's certainly been something special going on at the Menzies winery lately and this wine only further underlines Yalumba's progress. It's perfectly harmonious and affordable; great now or later. Drink to 2018.
92 points
I've enjoyed two bottles of this already(probably enjoyed them even more as I wasn't taking notes). The rest are now in dark place out of my reach...
ReplyDelete2008 is looking very positive for Coonawarra - 08 Wynns Black Label, 08 Leconfield (Merlot & Cab), 08 Wynns V&A Lane Cab/Shiraz have all impressed. Might be a good year to stock the cellar with terra rossa goodness.
cheers
jeremy
Too true JP. Of the 08s I've had so far there's certainly been a consistency of quality to all of them, which is probably the last phrase I'd use to describe the 07s.... (or even the 06s).
ReplyDeleteI've got an 08 Black Label on the rack awaiting consumption, as well as dinner with Sue Hodder next week - 4 courses matched to Wynns wines for $70 - can't go wrong mate! So I've got much to look forward to on the Coonawarra side of things in the very near future.
I know exactly where you're coming from on the enjoyment of The Cigar without taking notes as well JP. As I was trying to take notes, the wine was just flowing down my palate in a most sensuous manner, without a fuss, whilst hitting all the right spots and missing all the wrong ones, and before you know it - bang! Gone!
Cheers,
Chris P
What did they score it? Was it 95? I had it around 93-94 but it's a lovely wine. Like 08 Ringbolt in many ways - has Gambetta texture and oak all over it.
ReplyDeleteGW
Pretty sure it was a 95 GW :)
ReplyDeleteI've bypassed the 08 Ringbolt on a few occasions now (largely because I didn't like the highly rated 07 that much), but you might've convinced me to grab one next time round. Cheers for the tip GW.
CP