Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world

Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world
Vivat Bacchus
Monday 24 May 2010

1. Inspira Reserva 2007
Maipo Valley, Chile
General impression is of clean, varietal character. Lots of fresh black fruit and leafy notes. Quite full bodied and powerful. Round, ripe fruit on the palate and something a little bitter like dark chocolate. Oak is noticeable on the palate, but less prominent on the nose. Given time it should integrate. Good, should improve.

2. Robert Mondavi "Twin Oaks" 2007
California
Greener, leafier smell than number 1. Very high tannin and acid, or at least certainly more noticeable. This wine has a less intense palate so perhaps this is why. The wine suffers in comparison to number 1. Both are decent entry level wines, but the first is more pleasant to drink. I think that this wine does not have enough on the palate to age for long enough to get the acid and tannin in balance. Although maybe with food it would be fine.

3. Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge 2005
Languedoc
Complex, weird aromas. Jammy fruit, meatly and earthy. Probably quite bretty. Dusty mouthfeel - very dry tannin. This is relatively austere now, should improve a lot with age. Good, but not the best Daumas Gassac I've tasted.

4. Leconfield 2003
Coonawarra
Very jammy, concentrated black fruit. Also minty, orange peel, sweet spice and caramel. Very open - not a wine you would use the word "restrained" about. Good acid and tannin. Feels soft and ready to drink. Very Australian in style. Good, but a little brash. Nowhere near as good as the Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet-Merlot from Tim Wildman's Aus tasting.

5. Springfield "Methode Ancienne" 2003
Robertson, South Africa
Tobacco leaf and ripe fruit on the nose. Intense palate, well balanced and great length. Lots of ripe tannin, slight dusty mouthfeel. Younger on the palate than on the nose. This is very good and should age well for many more years. My favourite of the night.

6. Isole e Olena 2001
Tuscany

Savoury aromas (cheese was a popular tasting note) overlaying ripe, slightly cooked fruit. Fruit character was more prevalent on opening up. Very acidic (Italian-style acid) and good length with a savoury finish. Good grippy tannin - would work well with a steak. Very good.

Henri Bourgeois Etienne Henri 2003

Medium gold (deep colour for a Sauvignon Blanc). Noticeable oak and stony minerality on the nose. Opens up significantly in the glass with more floral and honeysuckle aromas (not sure whether this was because it was too cold to start with or whether it simply needed time to breathe). Smooth mouthfeel, intense green fruit on the palate - ripe green apples in particular, but also plenty of limes. As it opened up the minerality became more prevalent on the palate and there were more stone fruits (apricots) coming through in the flavour profile.

Great complexity and very long - several minutes after tasting it I kept getting an ethereal flashback-taste of the wine. Well balanced and complex, the way this one opens up in the glass makes me confident that it will improve in the bottle. It's excellent now though so no need to wait if you are impatient!