Ranked #13 of 64 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River
95/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Very ripe but also very cabernet: sweet fruited and lush, with soft tannins and decadent texture. A plush wine, really gorgeous fruit and soft structure. Just a slight whiff of capsicum emerged with airing. Superb wine. (8% merlot, 1% cabernet franc. 50% new oak)
Tasted: 20/10/2015
Drink: 2015 to 2040
93 Points Robert Parker
Bigger, richer and rounder than the elegant, streamlined 2011, Cape Mentelle's 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals herb-inflected notes of cassis and vanilla on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, with hints of bay leaf and sage layered over dark fruit and an undercurrent of earth and pipe tobacco. The tannins are still prominent but fine-grained and look sure to evolve toward silken savoriness within another couple of years, after which it should drink well for at least a decade.
Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Joe Czerwinski. January, 2019
98 Points James Halliday
Handpicked fruit was berry sorted before fermentation of 30 days on skins; 18 months in French oak (50% new). This is a glorious cabernet, its blackcurrant, cedar and spice bouquet leading into a seamless, perfectly balanced palate with cassis and redcurrant fruit framed by cedary oak. The amazing tannins, softly woven into the fabric of the fruit, gives this wine its ultimate class. Very different to the ?11. Drink to 2052.
-. August, 2022