I tipped it into the decanter and let it sit for an hour before having a look. The colour was impressive. Red and black fruit, dark crimson hue. The nose was typical Cabernet with all the usual suspects - capsicum, snow pea, whiff of oak.
Full bodied (abv 13.5%) and initially on the palate, the acid was prominent. Over the hour or so I looked at this wine it softened slightly. The front of the palate was kicking along here with the back clean. A touch of spice was a welcome characteristic. The tannins were interesting. Gripping, firm, and they too settled over time.
Two words to describe this wine at this stage would be "tight" and "firm". The wine continued to open up and improve, and there are definitely plenty of days left for this one in the cellar. Easy to 2015 in my humble opinion. I've left some in the bottle and it'll be interesting to see how it goes another day on.
And one day on....BOOM! This is the Cabernet I was looking for! A completely different wine. All elements in balance. Nose was inviting and rich. Palate was full of blackberry and plum characters. Finish was long and dangerously delicious. Absolutely spectacular.
Hard to believe there was such a contrast between the two, but no complaints with the end result.
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