Ranked #3 of 27 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale
92/100
4 Stars
Huon Hooke
Green-walnuts, query aldehydic: very chocolate/vanillan and lacks primary fruit. Has density and flesh. Rich and chewy, savoury, starting to develop; a tad forward but a nice drink. Lavish but skilled use of oak. Integrated barrel characters. Went up on this. A showy style.
Tasted: 18/02/2009
Drink: N/A
95 Points James Halliday
Very good colour; an elegant and complex mix of blackcurrant fruit, cassis, cedar and dark chocolate, the tannins ripe and perfectly balanced. Drink to 2026.
Source: James Halliday. March, 2008
"You could say that McLaren Vale is under appreciated for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but quite often, and increasingly so of late, it can ring my bell.
Crushed red and black berries with a freshness and vitality that puts me in mind of summer berry pudding. There’s a little aniseed, sweet tobacco and bay leaf too with perhaps a hint of dark chocolate and some nougat oak. Medium to full bodied, smooth and fluid – it manages to combine a silky texture with a sort of juicy pippy freshness – the overall impression being one of exuberant charm. Dry lick of tannin and sweet fruit on exit. Interesting and excellent."
Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : May09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009 - 2016
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front 24 May 2009