Ranked #14 of 19 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot from Coonawarra
86/100
3 Stars
Huon Hooke
Deep, dark red colour, with a brick-red tinge and some purple vestiges. Oaky nose, smelling of black olive and cresote, with a hint of rubber tyres. Tannic and oaky with a bold, clumsy and rather aggressive mouthfeel. Rather rustic and lacks either regional or varietal characters. Cannot see the value in this.
Tasted: 21/09/2012
Drink: 2012 to 2022
92 Points Robert Parker
Deep garnet colored and opening with aromas of cassis, ripe plums and mulberries alongside hints of dried herbs and cloves plus a touch of cedar, the taut and youthful 2008 First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to full-bodied and structured by firm, chewy tannins plus lively acid through the long finish. Drink now to 2023.
Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Lisa Perrotti-Brown. February, 2014
96 Points Tyson Stelzer
Wines like this are the reason you don''t read about spirallingly, ear-splittingly exorbitant First Growth Bordeaux offerings in Wine Taste Weekly. 2008 Parker is a cabernet blend of true First Growth endurance. Such is its wall of tannin that it must not, under any circumstances, be approached shy of twenty years in the cellar. Incredible power of blackcurrant and cassis fruit, with a fragrant violet perfume, underlined by dark chocolate oak, with nuances of black olives and black liquorice, this is a wine of tremendous concentration, with the structural assertiveness to maintain a brilliant line of linear definition, finishing crunchy and precise. The tannin profile is monumental, firm and mouth-evading, yet with a textural finesse that keeps it under consummate control at every instant. Don''t miss one of the greats in the lineage of First Growth when it is unleashed on the world in July. Drink 2028 - 2038.
Source: Tyson Stelzer.
Deep garnet colored and opening with aromas of cassis, ripe plums and mulberries alongside hints of dried herbs and cloves plus a touch of cedar, the taut and youthful 2008 First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to full-bodied and structured by firm, chewy tannins plus lively acid through the long finish. Drink now to 2023. Source: Robert Parker (eRobertParker.com) February, 2014 by Lisa Perrotti-Brown