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RATINGS & REVIEWS
We have received some great ratings and reviews over the years. Check them out!
Cabernet Sauvignon Classified as "EXCELLENT" in The Langton's Classification VII
EXCELLENT
The seventh edition of Langton's Classification of Australian Wines saw Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon ranking amongst benchmark quality Australian Wines: "The classic, age-worthy Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon, with its beautiful fragrance, purity of fruit, structure and vitality, has played a significant part in shaping Margaret River’s premium wine image. After winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy in successive years for the 1982 and 1983 vintages, it became a modern legend inspiring a whole generation of winemakers to succeed in their craft."
Cape Mentelle has some very expensive, but very effective, grape sorting equipment, and this may be part of the reason for the purity and the singularity of this beautiful cabernet. It's all there, all laid out for you, blackcurrant/cassis fruit, spicy/earthy undertones and perfectly ripened tannins standing guard over the fruit. The oak is subtle, but has been carefully orchestrated.
There is an engaging mix of the old and the new here. It's a more robust and full-bodied chardonnay with lots of candied fruit, butterscotch and crème brulee, but there is also a degree of delicacy and restraint with fine persistence. The palate is layered with roasted nuttiness and some warmed morning brioche.
A blend of parcels from the Trinders Vineyard (great power and depth) and from the Chapman Brook Vineyard (nuanced, fine, floral characters). 50-70 days on skins; 21 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak, 50% new oak overall. The result is a powerful, layered shiraz wanting to be a cabernet sauvignon, but isn't unduly put out by having to remain what it is.
A bright, youthful wine in the glass. The nose is complex - an array of spices meld happily with quality toasty oak, muberries and plums. There's nothing shy about it, concentrated and ripe, yet balanced and demanding the next sip. Red raisins, cinnamon and those dark plums also return. It's a delicious young wine that will live for many years.
A really good wine that was (and remains) a trail blazer for long-lived SBS in the style of white Bordeaux. Barrel fermentation is an important part of the wine's style - when done well you get a wine such as this.
It’s a more bold version of Cabernet Franc, and does not lack ripeness, that’s for sure. Blackcurrant, ripe raspberry, mint, violet and rose perfume, nutty nougat oak in support. Medium to full bodied, straight and very direct through the mouth – no nonsense here – some tobacco and dried herb, but well bedded into a core of juicy fruit. Tannin is ripe and firm, and the finish is excellent.
Sympathetic winemaking contributes to the style of this shiraz. In the winery the gentle basket pressing is certainly a factor, resulting in a soft, generous and beautifully complete and rounded shiraz. Gravelly tannins and a light touch of oak are well managed. Has a beautifully soft and generous mouthfeel with length through to a long finish. Excellent
A largely old aok-treated 60/40 blend from the Trinders Vineyard. Striking feature is the balance. Seamlessly constructed with a layer of soft, plush fruit coated with a thin veneer of aok. Fine, chalky tannins add a little support through the length of the palate. Spicy and generous. Excellent drinking now or for the next eight years.
