Tag: 2011

Windance Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

A clear, deep, garnet wine with pale tears developing. Clean, medium (+) intensity nose, developing with black currant, cassis and dried herbs – vanilla evident from oak treatment.

Dry with medium+, firm tannins, medium acid and high alcohol (14.5%). A medium+ bodied wine with medium+ finish and medium flavour intensity of black fruit, black olive, cedar and bramble.

This is a very good wine (92 points), high-priced ($42) drinking well now, but will show improvement through to 2025.

This is a good example of a Margaret River cabernet, perhaps a little more balance between tannin and fruit would have made this a great wine. Will benefit from decanting.

Rockford “Basket Press” Shiraz 2011

A clear, deep, garnet wine with a few thick legs appearing. Medium (+) intensity nose, clean and developing with red fruit and mocha – vanilla evident from oak treatment.

Dry with medium, fine tannins, medium+ acid and high alcohol (14.2%). A medium+ bodied wine with medium+ finish and medium(+) flavour intensity of raspberry, blackberry and a hint of dried herbs and black pepper.

This is an excellent wine (95 points), high-priced ($65) drinking well now, but will show improvement through to 2022.

A restrained version of the Basket Press, perhaps due to the difficult 2011 vintage, but a lovely wine nonetheless. Will benefit from decanting.

Mulderbosch “Faithful Hound” 2011

mulderbosch fh11A clear, deep, ruby wine with a few thick legs developing. Medium+ intensity nose clean and developing with a cassis, black currant leaf, hint of liquorice and cedar.

Dry on the palate with medium+ acid, alcohol (14%) and high chalky tannins. Full bodied, with medium+ flavour and long finish. The palate is a little overweight in acid and tannin but blackberry, mulberry fruits evident with vanilla and hint of spice (pepper?).

This is a very good wine (92 points), a Cabernet Franc dominated Bordeaux blend (a nod to Fronsac perhaps?) that punches about its mid-priced category (ZAR 150 but around AUD 22 locally). Can drink it now but it has the potential for aging 5 to 10 years.