Complex and elegant, offering rich fruit characters of cassis and blackcurrant with earthy nuances. French oak giving hints of cedar and tobacco to finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Single Variety
Clare Valley
At release, the wine is a dark red colour with a faint brick red hue to the edge. The depth and intensity of the colour means it should hold for many years to come.
The wine has lifted and distinctly varietal aromas of cassis, dark cherries, choc-mint and sweet spice along with fresh, vibrant blackcurrant fruit and subtle cigar and tobacco from the oak.
On the palate it is a very well-balanced wine with ripe blackcurrant characters, along with chocolate and mint intermingling harmoniously with oak characters of cedar and subtle tobacco. There is an understated power to the wine, with layers of complexity building across the palate and then finishing elegantly with long, fine tannins. It is a generous wine yet retains poise and the elegance of great Cabernet Sauvignon.
The overall conditions during the growing season leading up to the 2006 vintage were very favourable. There were good winter and spring rains with the yearly total slightly above average. Conditions from September through December were close to average except that October was wetter than usual. January was considerably hotter than the previous year due to a heatwave which occurred just after the middle of the month, but, given the very mild lead up to January, the vines were in excellent condition and held up well. The weather in February is always critical to the overall outcome of vintage and temperatures consistently in the upper-twenties provided ideal conditions for ripening. March was warm and although there was significant rain late in the month it had little or no effect on the fruit that was still to be picked. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of the Clare Valley and 2006 has seen another vintage in which the unique geography and favourable climate have allowed the production of high quality fruit. The St Andrews vineyard delivered an average yield of not more than two and a quarter tonnes per acre. The fruit showed exceptional potential even at an early stage of fruit set.
Crafted for immediate enjoyment but will cellar over a long term under ideal conditions.
14.60%
6.55
3.40
0.54
Single: 750ml bottle, Case: 6 x 750ml bottle
