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Cabernet Sauvignon
A Taste of Australian Wine
'Cabernet Sauvignon'
by Gavin Trott
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's finest
red wine grapes. From Bordeaux to California and increasingly in Italy and even
Chile, Cabernet makes great red wines. Australia is no exception making great
Cabernet in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Hunter
Valley.
Cabernet grapes tend to be thick skinned with bunches of small
berries, and also only give moderate sized crops in general. This means that
wines made from these grapes will have plenty of skins from which to get colour,
flavour and tannin, and have plenty of flavour as a finished
wine.
Cabernet based wines can tend to be quite tannic when they’re
young, but age very gracefully with a softening of the tannin and the slow
development of complexity, cedar and cigar box aromas. In regions where the
grapes do not quite ripen there can be a ‘capsicum’ or ‘green bean’ character.
This can add complexity to the wine, but if more than a trace it tends to
distract from the experience and be a fault. Very ripe Cabernets from warm
climates tend to be less distinctively Cabernet, and develop chocolate and
richer flavours, and while delicious young, do not cellar as well. The flavour
profile in Cabernets tends to be black and red currant, blackberry, and cassis,
with occasional hints of mint, chocolate and even regional
earthiness.
Regional versions of this wine can be noticed and I will
mention these below along with some recommended wines to try from each
region.
Coonawarra
Consistently Australia’s best Cabernets are
made in the Coonawarra region of South Australia. This is a small cigar shaped
region with red ‘Terra Rossa’ soils over limestone, free draining and with a
cool climate. The wines from here tend to be well balanced with a very good
cellar potential
Wynns John Riddoch
Lindemans St George
Bowen
Estate
Majella
Gartner Estates
Zema Estate
Barossa
Valley
The warm climate here tends to produce richer dark and fleshy
wines with typical chocolate hints. Blackberry more than blackcurrant is often
the dominant fruit flavour.
Penfolds Bin 707 (although very much a multi
region blend these days)
Charles Melton
Elderton
Grant Burge
Wolf
Blass
Victoria
In Central Victoria there is often a
mint/eucalyptus hint to these wines over classic cassis and
blackcurrant.
Balgownie
Mitchelton
Taltarni
Mount
Mary
Oakridge Estate
Margaret River
Very good region indeed
for Cabernet wines, slight gravelly hints with red berry fruit and usually great
length and cellaring ability.
Moss Wood
Leeuwin
Estate
Pierro
Cape Mentelle
Chateau Xanadu
Cullens
Great
Southern
Alkoomi
Howard Park
Plantagenet
Hunter
Valley
Very regional as all their reds seem to be, earthy style whose
regional nature continues as they age.
Lakes
Folly
Brokenwood
Rosemount
Gavin is the manager of the Australian Wine Centre (a large collection
of affordable, rare and cult Australian wines) and hosts the very popular Auswine Forum (An online discussion
forum about Australian wine) .
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