A rich effort from this well-known property in St Christoly. Lovely rich mouthfeel, ripe and tannic with a luscious long finish. Low acidity suggests drinking this wine young, say 2014-2021.
95 points Wine Advocate "The soils are calcareous rocks with a little bit of topsoil to keep some freshness and control the Cabernet tannins. The wine has the granular tannins of Cabernet, the only giveaway of the grapes used, as the sense of place seems to be more intense than the fruit. There is more ripeness in this 2012. This is a great expression of the calcareous soils through Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink 2015-2025. "
Rated as the best Napa Cabernet Sauvignon in Decanter’s panel tasting, this wonderful wine is dark, dense yet smooth and juicy with ripe blackberries and dense plum; juicy and concentrated.
Valle de Uco, one of the leading areas of Mendoza. Zuccardi Q Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderfully full wine with rich concentrated cassis fruit merged with chocolate, coffee and herbs. Great complexity and length.
92 points Wine Enthusiast "Flavors of saucy, herbal plum and blackberry come with notes of tobacco and olive, while this is drawing and gritty on the finish, with a roasted quality. "
Ch Potensac is always one of the best of the lower-tier wines from Bordeaux and one with incredible aging potential for an unheralded non-classified growth, is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It is a soft, round, easygoing wine offering pleasant notes of loamy soil, cherries and red currants
Valle de Uco, one of the leading areas of Mendoza. Zuccardi Q Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderfully full wine with rich concentrated cassis fruit merged with chocolate, coffee and herbs. Great complexity and length.
A lovely blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, that is made without oak for young drinking, more in a Loire mould than Bordeaux. It's fresh and fruity, very easy to drink on its own or with steak, sausages, cutlets. A real joy, and a bargain.
First Class rating from CWM "Sweet blackcurrant nose, creaminess on palate, jam packed, but structured fruit, tannin, and acidity" Also loved by Wine Advocate's Neal Martin who awarded it 91-93 points who calls it 'gorgeous, seductive and a temptress of St Estephe'.
Listrac is a commune close to Margaux that fans of Bordeaux should really check out. Fonreaud is one of its chief exponents and currently producing terrific wines that, were they to have Margaux on the label, should cost much more. The 2016 is one its best ever wines, It has very good structure underlying delicious dark fruits. Fresh acidity too helps make the wine sing from the first sip.
Deep purple in colour this Chilean offering has rich ripe cherries and juicy plums on the nose with flavours of jammy blackcurrents and blackberries on the palate. Medium bodied and well balanced.
This wine is from an area generally associated with sherry production, but in fact Cadiz has a long forgotten tradition of making red wines, with records dating back to the 14th century. Owned by the renowned Gonzalez Byass family, Finca Moncloa is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tintilla de Rota and Petit Verdot aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels. A cherry red wine with intense aromas of red and black fruits and a balanced palate with notes of fruit, spice and oak.
Chateau Musar Red 2012 has a dark burgundy colour, a nose of matured stone fruits, plums and figs with liquorice and spicy notes. It has big developed ripe fruit on the nose and a bold taste profile of juicy, black fruits plus mocha and leather and a beautiful lingering finish.
Made by all female star team of owner Lindsay Hoopes, Anne Vauter (ex Screaming Eagle) and Jennifer Rue this has richness and eleganc in equal measure. Extended barrel ageing has softened the wine, as has some bottle age, making it exquisite to drink now. It will keep but why wait?
A huge, berry-scented mouthful; a blend of mostly cab, with merlot and petit sirah in supporting roles. Silky but crisp with wild blackberry and currant, the wine shows ripe fruit and ripe tannins and is a bargain at the price point
90 points Neal Martin Fragrant with graphite and lightly peppery black fruit, nicely dusty/rocky and just a touch of cassis leaf. More leafy on the palate, balanced by some sweet plum flavours.
Made by the all female team at Ch. Labegorce, led Nathalie Perrodo. Very expressive with red fruits, toasted notes and spice, you can enjoy it now or cellar for up to 10 years. With its smooth red fruit flavours, it would partner perfectly with roasted lamb or a selection of cheeses.
The sexiest Cab-based Tuscan, no contest. Decanter 95. Parker 95 "beautiful... profound elegance of this classic vintage... layer after layer of dark fruit, oak spice, chocolate...tobacco... a big personality".
Philosphie, is winemaker Matt Copeland's attempt to marry the mind, the heart and the soil as we celebrate the diversity of Vondeling. Rich, svelte and sensuous, the smooth, textured tannins are bold but rounded. There is both dark and red berry fruit with an underlying black olive savouriness. The acidity adds verve and balance, while lending length and poise.
4.5 stars (94 points) Platter's 2021 South Africa Wine Guide - "Low yields, careful barrel selection & fine 2015 vintage align in rich, concentrated cab-led Bordeaux blend. Seamless & polished, with fine dry tannins, 100% French oak in sync with fruit intensity. Like 2014, deserves ageing."
Alternative label to Ch Haute Breton Larigaudiere, and much easier to say, this is classic Margaux at an affordable price. This wine is a deep ruby-red with intense, refined ripe red fruit aromas and elegant notes of vanilla and violet. It starts out powerful on the palate with a long, fresh aftertaste..
Tim Atkin, September 2020 - 96 pts
"What a wine! I can't remember tasting a better young Peter Barlow than this, which fully expresses the brilliance of the 2017 vintage. Serious, focused, compact and built to last, it has very fine 65% new wood, classic blackcurrant and cedarwood notes, graceful tannins and a long, nuanced, refreshing finish. 2023-32"
The oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard on the Rustenberg estate is named the Peter Barlow block and consistently produces powerful, long-lived Cabernet Sauvignon that is given the best possible treatment in the cellar. Concentrated cassis, black cherries and some herbaceousness can be found on the nose and palate. Rustenberg recommend decanting Peter Barlow before drinking.
One of the stars of Coonawarra so famed for Cab, this beaut exemplifies the joy of the classic Merlot blend. Smells like evolved claret, leaf tea and earthy, then opens out with spice and hearty raisiny fruits all meat-friendly tannins. A real treat.
A lovely balanced fruity wine from McLaren Vale, Australia. Beautiful blackcurrant and leafy flavours from the Cabernet with a hint of Violets from the Touriga. A perfect, punchy red at a great price.
Deep, vivid ruby red. Attractive aromas of berries and mature red fruits. Interesting spiced and mentholated tones typical of the Maipo valley. The palate shows the classical force of the variety, with a firm body, pleasing persistence and tasty end.
The Crusher Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a vibrant bouquet of black cherry, toasted oak and captivating pepperiness. Graceful in the mouth, with a silky texture and lively dark berry fruit, flavors of plum and dark chocolate expand on the palate.
Since 1977 Rust en Vrede has specialised in the exclusive production of red wine from estate vines, with the focus on Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
All estate fruit from the original Monte Bello estate, from lots considered not inferior, but more suitable for early consumption rather than the grand vin's 30-yr window approach. So, effectively the 2nd wine of Monte Bello. Minimal intervention as ever, natural and organic. 20 months in air-dried American oak, half new. The first vintage from these vineyards was 1892, and the oldest vines making this wine were planted in 1949. Eric the winemaker, visiting us in Cambridge, tipped us off that this is a smart buy.
A dense deep red with our characteristic sweet/savoury/spicy blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tastings from the vats in the winter of 2013, revealed elegance and roundness with a spice-dominant palate, liquorice, clove, cinnamon with a warm coulis of red fruits. There are raspberries and blueberries on the palate, this is an elegant vintage, integrated and balanced with fine tannin. No sense of Cabernet Sauvignon here, a more Cinsault dominated vintage with softer red fruits.
"Marvellously warm Mediterranean fruits on the nose, would be autumnal but for their vigorous presence, as rich and robust as expected on the palate, almost the essence of Lebanon in the glass with rich spice and cooling breezes, the dry herby fruit flows with energy over the palate before giving way to a finish that confirms the structure, fruit and tannins blending in exuberantly with intriguing hints of much more to come in the next decade."
Steven Spurrier January 2020
