TN: 2008 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon

[n4sir]

2008 Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (screwcap): Dark to inky purple red. Very sweet, lifted and dusty bouquet of blueberries, heady perfume, a touches of beetroot, chalk dust, capsicum and white pepper, a little coffee bean/vanillin oak in the background. The palate’s medium-weight, spicy and tarry with grippy, chalky tannins and a mineraly finish with some bitterness/greenness on the end, and malty oak on the rebound. It’s an improvement on the frost affected 2007 vintage and hides the 15% alcohol rather well, but lacks weight and length for the marque; despite its show success I feel it’s not quite up to the high standard of the vintages leading up to the frost damage.

Cheers,
Ian

[richie32]

Ian

What's your thoughts on cellarability of this wine?
Picked up a few based on reports/success and being birth year of son thought it could be one to hold onto short to medium term (now to 2015).

Regards

[n4sir]

Ian

What's your thoughts on cellarability of this wine?
Picked up a few based on reports/success and being birth year of son thought it could be one to hold onto short to medium term (now to 2015).

Regards

I think it should cellar well after 2015 - Majella Cabernet has a history of cellaring for well over 10 years, even a lesser vintage like 1995, so in pure cellaring terms you may be selling it a little short. I'd push that back end of the drinking window back to at least 2018, maybe 2023 or even more - as a comparison Campbell Mattinson had a window of now until 2021.

Cheers,
Ian