Tasting Notes:
A full-bodied and powerful grape variety with a lot of tannin. It ages very well and like Merlot is bottled as a single varietal or used to give blended wines ‘backbone’ structure and longevity. Classic flavour characteristics include blackcurrant, black cherry, green pepper, chocolate and cedar wood.
Reviews:
94 points, JAMES HALLIDAY - HALLIDAY'S WINE COMPANION
Destemmed, crushed and fermented on skins in open-top fermenters. Matured 18 months in French oak, MLF. From a top year which has been given the heavy bottle/cork treatment by way of emphasis. A single-vineyard expression that combines all the things we expect from Heathcote – deep colour, intensity, concentration, bush mint/eucalypt/bay leaf spice, warm oak – with a bit of a surprise. The medium-bodied cabernet bursts with just-picked, red berries, blackberry/plum freshness and fragrant aromatics. It's a fine cabernet with earthy, leafy overtones and savoury tannins. What's more, it's sourced from the warmer north of the region. Quite a standout wine from a standout year.
94 points, CAMPBELL MATTINSON - THE WINE FRONT
I’ve never met Hamish MacGowan, the man behind Angus the Bull, but I admire the way he goes about it. This is his first step into Single Vineyard territory, or rather his first step under the Angus The Bull label. It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon from Heathcote. It’s a firm, solid red built on an excellent frame of tannin though of course, curranty fruit is the star of the show. This is ripe but fresh, powerful but not overdone. Gum leaf, cocoa and red currant characters add to the positive impression. The pitch here is perfect. It has elegance but it also has plenty of flavour.
94 points, SAM KIM - WINE ORBIT
Gorgeously fruited and perfumed, the bouquet shows cassis, mint chocolate, toasted nut and mixed spice aromas, followed by a concentrated palate delivering succulent fruit intensity together with silky texture and fine chalky tannins. Bold and flavoursome with a lengthy structured finish.
92 points, JAMES SUCKLING
Attractive aromas of currants and spices with incense and Spanish cedar that follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a creamy, caressing texture to the finish. Drink or hold.
90 points, HUON HOOKE - GOURMET TRAVELLER
Deep red colour with a good purple tint. The bouquet has dark fruits with nutty, toasty high notes - perhaps from oak. Dark berries and a faint hint of peppermint. The wine is full-bodied and well-endowed with tannins, which add firm authority to the finish and aftertaste. A good, solid red that's well-suited to its purpose as a steak wine.