I was listening to the radio and a fellow mentioned how computers have been programmed to play chess and, ultimately, win.  I am not surprised at what computers are capable of these days but they are incapable of ‘experiencing’, ‘feeling’ or ‘emotion’ of winning. And, as much as Artificial Intelligence (or AI as it is more commonly referred to) can generate notes about a wine and, obviously, it is unable to live the sensory stimulation, the dopamine delivery or the simple pleasure that actually goes with tasting good wine as I did when I tasted this Huntington Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

On this occasion, instead of sitting at a computer and seeing my notes appear on a screen, I sat in my favourite chair and verbalised my thoughts about this wine, sometimes with hand and arm movements, sometimes with facial expressions. All of which a computer nor AI can do. It was quite refreshing and liberating.

Region: Mudgee, NSW     Price: $54    Source: Samples thanks kindly to Huntington Estate

There is so much I could say about this wine but I thought it best to curb my enthusiasm just a tad. It is still quite a youthful yet deep purple colour as it sits in the glass exuding aromas of black fruits, a little spice and a touch of oak too. The generous black fruit flavours don’t hold back on the palate either. Blackberries, blackcurrants and dark plum characters aplenty and some nicely played oak and tannins for good measure. While it is rich and generous, there is an elegant and smooth mouthfeel to it on the finish that gives a ‘refined gentleman’ stature to it.