There are three words in the heading that could not be more connected when it comes to wine than ‘Cigar’, ‘Coonawarra’ and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’. It is widely known the Coonawarra area has a section where the dirt is commonly referred to as the ‘terra rossa’ or red soil. This section was mapped some time ago and, when it was, it showed up in the shape of a cigar. Add to that just how well Cabernet Sauvignon does in this famous wine region of Australia and, taa daa, a damn good wine from a damn fine Australian producer.
I realise this particular wine has sort of sat in the shadows of its more well known sibling, The Menzies, but I’ve been a fan of this wine for some time. As a matter of fact, I opened a 2012 (under cork) fairly recently and it was great! So, for pretty much half the price of The Menzies (bear in mind the fruit comes from the same vineyard), you can have a wine that is very approachable now but will cellar for a heap of years.
Even though it is already four years old, it still has an abundance of youthful vibrancy and shows plenty of fruit freshness from start to finish. It is unequivocally and proudly showing its Coonawarra regionality in such a refined and elegant manner. Yes, there is a richness but it comes to you in way that coats your palate gently, almost in slow motion. Then, those plush fruit flavours seem to hang around for a considerable time before you realise you no longer have any of the wine in your mouth! This is indeed a lovely wine and it is easy to see why it has won 7 gold medals over the last two years.
Region: Coonawarra, SA Price: $35 Source: Retail Purchase
Words from a Wine Glass 