DAN'S WINE BLOG- THIS WEEK'S WINE REVIEW

THIS WEEK’S WINE REVIEW:

?Friday, September 8, 2023:? This week I am talking about a variety that I have had a love/hate relationship since I first started drinking wine – Cabernet Sauvignon.

?Initially, I fell in love with it in the 1980s in the shape of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, more specifically, Lindeman’s, Wynns, Orlando St Hugo and Redmans. They offered so much more depth and complexity than the Hunter Hermitage (Shiraz) that I had been drinking up until then.

?Over time (a long time) I explored Shiraz from other areas (especially South Australia) along with a raft of other really interesting varieties, especially Durif, Zinfandel and more recently Saperavi and Tannat.

?This all meant that to a large extent I sort of lost contact with Cabernet and when I did revisit it, the wines of the Coonawarra started to be somewhat “same old, same old” with no exciting new developments like Shiraz/Syrah was undergoing across the country, especially in regions like Heathcote and the Adelaide Hills.

?So Australian Cabernet has been on my “back-burner” for quite a few years. However, recently I was blown out of my complacency by a sensational Yarra valley Cabernet.

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The opinion-altering wine was the Soumah Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 from their Hexham Vineyard, in the Parish of Gruyere.

?This magnificent cool-climate wine has a vibrant purple colour, a gorgeous cool-climate bouquet of red berries with just a hint of eucalyptus, some spice and a dash of subtle vanillin oak. The palate is generous, round and rich yet still tight and tasty with blackcurrant flavours. It will blossom magnificently over the next few years to become an Iconic Australian cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon – in the meantime it is “well moreish” especially if you decant it a while before drinking it.